Boneyard
by EpicJellyfish7
Summary: Sequel to "Royal Flush"; No one could have guessed that one little spell in a desperate attempt to remain superior could have knocked down so many dominoes. A certain empire to the East has their eye on the dysfunctional kingdoms and they're not above anything to get what they want. Cardverse!AU; no intended pairings; rated T for my paranoia; possible character death.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Exodus**

 **A/N: Sorry this is later than probably anticipated but you have no idea how long it took to make sure I don't have any plot holes (Read: plot holes you'll notice). After re-reading RF before starting this I want to formally apologize for the sheer number of grammatical mistakes I missed despite reviewing each chapter multiple times before posting. *Do not expect weekly updates- I wanted to get this out sooner rather than later so I'm behind on completed chapters* I don't own Hetalia.**

* * *

"The new territory line will be drawn at this river, Elisaveta, and nowhere else." Francis left no room for negotiations, he was dead set on his new map of Cards which was heavily biased in favor of Diamonds.

"No, Francis, the border between Diamonds and Clubs will remain as is. If you would care to realize the futility of your argument you would know that we are not even discussing kingdom borders today." Alfred said, as calmly and collected as possible, which still meant death glares sent in the other blonde's direction.

It was nice that the Nations, who knew very well what would happen once the Queen's War (so popularly dubbed by the people, even though they didn't know how right they were) ended, kindly forgot to inform them of the tediousness of post-war negotiations. They were probably laughing their arses off in their world at this meeting of the royals.

They were supposed to be discussing disarmament of individual militaries to combine them all into one to serve the dominion as a whole. It was a failure of epic proportions: Eight out of twelve face cards bitterly opposing anything suggested, two were sitting silently in the background trying to grasp the concept of their new jobs for life, and the remaining two were sitting with them failing at diffusing the situation. _(1)_

The veterans, in short, were not setting a very good impression.

"How about this," Yao interrupted. "Since we are clearly not getting a single thing accomplished let's take a break and reconvene at a later date. This is a meeting of the military and as such the four jacks should be the ones making the decisions." He left out the not immature kings part but it was heard anyway.

"I agree," Basch said, "This is getting us nowhere and I believe two kingdoms have a king and queen to train." He looked pointedly at Lisa, the new queen, and Časlov, the new king who looked relieved to be out of there.

"Yes, we do." Roderich said, quickly leaving the premise shadowed by Elizabeta and Časlov. The rest of the royals, minus Spades, left as well, no one relaxing until they were the only three left.

"Well that went well." Alfred sighed, finally dropping the guise and letting his exhaustion show.

"Alfred, this cannot continue." Yao reprimanded. "Ivan is gone, the rivalry is over. If you really want this to work you have to be more lenient with them. We are all losing our patience here, provoking Francis does not help anyone."

"So I am just supposed to allow him to say whatever he wants?"

"No, you are supposed to let it go. Do not let what he says get to you. I promise they will not get away with anything in the meeting of the jacks. Can you not tell that we are ready for this to work?"

Alfred pouted, knowing his argument was lost. "Very well." Suddenly he perked up and grinned at Lisa. "So, Queen Lisa, are you confused yet?"

The redhead of four-class had arrived a week prior, looking completely and utterly lost. Apparently she was related to Allistor and Dylan in some way or the other, the massive family too complicated to understand. So far she'd said the bare minimum to anyone that wasn't Alfred or Yao, but that wasn't too out of the ordinary. After all she was now the greenie of the royals, kindly taking over that wonderful position from Alfred, and it was like a culture shock.

Going from owning a small textile shop on the coast to being selected for the new role as queen was definitely demanding, especially when no one knew the previous queen was dead. They still haven't had the funeral because of the post-war chaos.

Even the choosing process was almost ethereal in nature. Like a massive epiphany out of nowhere and the knowledge just dawned on you. It didn't take very long to get over the high and realize just what being a royal entitled, then the tears flowed.

Though they never would admit it, they all did it. The realization that they'd never grow old, never really have the option of a family because the job was so demanding, and then leaving one life behind to go to the next was more than enough to make heads spin.

Some of the old ones, Like Yao and Kiku, have all but forgotten their original families from centuries past. But they were still empathetic to the new royals.

Lisa didn't have time to answer before Alfred lead them out the door of the meeting room, saying it was too depressing in there to continue. She just rolled her eyes, already used to his antics, and tried to keep up to wherever they were going.

Back away from foreign eyes in the safety of the eternally-blue kingdom, the rest of the people still stole glances at the new royal whenever they could, not caring about discretion at all. Nearly three quarters the civilian population had never experienced the sudden and unannounced death of a figurehead that had been in their lives for decades and not all were easily accepting of the replacement. Some just quickly looked away, others tried to ignore her, then came the extremists that thought up complicated and convoluted theories about how it was an inside job and how Arthur had been walking with a target on his back for years.

The thing with theories is they spread like wildfires, especially in a society in turmoil. Even if it never made sense and was ludicrous to even premeditate, supporters of the "Arthur Theory" as so cleverly dubbed, were growing steadily by the day. Those who knew exactly what happened, i.e. Alfred, Yao, and a few high-ranking officials, decided to keep it undisclosed for as long as possible else cooperation would go out the window and anarchy would ensue. No one even knew that Francis was the one that did it personally, the killer went unnamed outside castle walls.

Yao left to prepare for the upcoming meeting with the other jacks, the other two simply walked back to the castle in borderline-uncomfortable silence.

After a few more meters with only their footsteps for noise, Alfred finally spoke up. "They'll come around soon, you know. You are just in the right place at the wrong time."

"With all due respect, K-"

"It's just Alfred unless we're in public, which also applies to Yao and Ma… which also applies to Yao." Of course Lisa noticed they were still short one member of the royal family, and they were family- blood or water didn't matter. When you're stuck in time with only three others as your companions until death or worse, bloodlines are thrown out the window. But Alfred and Matthew… they were family.

She'd heard the stories as a kid, most of the people knew more about their leaders than said leaders probably liked. Though any real truth behind their history is long since dead, only available from the blondes themselves, most people agreed on the same, tragic story.

See, everyone thought they were twins because they looked so much alike. In reality, Matthew was the oldest brother by two years and Alfred was the middle child. No one but them really remembers their younger sister, Rosa, who'd disappeared one day after a massive fight between her and Alfred over something long forgotten. Everyone just knows she existed. After that it was just the two of them for a while, parents were out of the picture for reasons even the public doesn't know.

Then came royalty. Matthew was selected as the new ace and three years later came Alfred as the fledgling king. For thirty years the two set aside enough resources the military would allow to find their missing sister, even begging Arthur for a spell or two, but they never did. It's been forty-two years now, Rosa would be in almost sixty and they'd all but given up, having lost all extra men in the recent and hopefully final bloodbath between suits. All they could do was wait.

And now Matthew was gone. Unlike Rosa they knew he was still alive, but well was uncertain. Given a few more months and the navy would be back on its feet to storm the shores of Chess with all they had for the ace. But they didn't have a few months. A few weeks at best, depending on what they were doing with him over there.

The worst part was that no one outside of Spades really cared for his wellbeing. Well, Queen Lili cared, but she was a pacifist and even gave her condolences for Arthur when she found out. Even the other aces had nearly forgotten he even existed, thinking Dylan was the ace since the beginning.

But the one who cared the most aside from his own brother was Allistor, the navy captain and one of the last people to see him al- to see him. The second the Rummy made port in Spades the entire crew came sprinting to the castle to plea for more men and ships to find him until they saw the wreckage still floating in the waters. Allistor didn't leave his cousin's coffin's side for two days after that, moving only to renew the crusade for the lost ace.

All in all, instead of a lively electric cerulean, Spades was drowning in periwinkle depression that wasn't releasing them any time soon.

* * *

Why does it always seem that the scum of society never gets hit with karma but the people who never deserve it always have crap happen to them? Isn't that what karma is supposed to prevent? You do something good, something altruistic, and something good happens to you. You do something bad, something traitorous, and you'd better watch where you step.

That's how it's supposed to work. So why did that seem like a cruel joke at the moment? Why did it feel like the universe was pissed off for some reason and decided to screw with the natural order of getting-what's-coming-to-you?

Matthew didn't deserve this. He really didn't. What had he done to deserve being bound, gagged, and blindfolded in the bed of a wagon going Check knows where without any clue what had happened in the first place? What did they expect him to do really? He knew virtually no magic, carried no weapons- not that they would have been on his person by this point- and couldn't even fight off his brother when they played together as kids.

And to top it all off, even if he could defend himself he had next to no strength left after being fed "enough to allow him to stand" for a week and a half. Or something like that, he'd lost count around day six. At this point Matthew couldn't give a damn what they were feeding him as long as it passed as food for a dog.

Voice long-since nonexistent, all he could do for the endless hours in darkness was mull over everything happening, which was a lot. What was going on back home? Did they win the war? Did they lose the war? Was everyone dead? Was he the last surviving royal of Cards? Did the others ever even make it back there? Were they searching for him? Did they give up and deem the lost ace a lost cause?

But the thought that kept resurfacing through it all was their conversation with Feliks however many days ago. "This place practically rains magic. I know royals when I see 'em; they're magic's bitches." Feliks knew him just with a glance, and assuming his captors possessed the same abilities, what exactly did they have in store for him? So far it had just been days of silent transport going from nowhere to nowhere. Sure he could feel when they stopped and turned but that wasn't exactly reliable nor helpful in the slightest.

They weren't allies. He knew that. But Matthew figured that if a foreign diplomat goes missing in a royal's territory, they should be obligated to find them and send them home. Or just find them. He'd considered trying to run, nearly acted upon such thoughts when they'd let him up to eat and stuff but the fear of getting caught and the sheer futility of it all was enough to make him stay put like a good little prisoner. Not to mention Chess was utterly massive. And after days of travel in any direction even at this pace could have very well gotten him across the empire, though that's all they'd been doing. Walking. No boats crossing rivers, or cobblestone beneath the horses' hooves. Just dirt roads through the wilderness.

If- when he got home- the first thing he would do is walk right up to Arthur and demand magic lessons in self-defense

The wagon suddenly stopped, immediately drawing him out of wishful thinking, and put him on high alert. Muffled voices drew closer until they were right on top of him. He tried not to flinch as rough hands hauled him off the wagon and onto the hard-packed earth. This was nothing new, all it told him was that they were done traveling for the day and were setting up camp for the night. It also told him he'd be getting food.

Someone led him over to a tree, made him sit down, and proceeded to make sure he wasn't going anywhere with about three lengths of rope going around the trunk and his torso, a bit excessive to Matthew but they apparently didn't want to take chances.

So far the only good side to this was that they all spoke the same language. Come to think of it so far everyone he'd met spoke the same language. Not that overhearing mutterings and curses did much but it broke up the monotony of darkness for over twelve hours on the road.

The blindfold was finally removed and despite the twilight he still had to squint at the harsh light. For the first time all day he got a view of their surroundings: Trees. Fan-fricken-tastic.

And so goes another night of cramped sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Woo! First chapter done! (Sorry for the depression) This does have a plot, just unlike last time it's not starting immediately. Three new names: Rosa, Lisa, and Časlov which are mostly fanon names you can piece together. If anyone wants to guess you get a shout out the next chapter. Now I just slept for five hours after school today and I'm still tired so goodnight.**

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. When the UN was first created, the G8 were given permanent seats and veto powers to say no to anything they wanted and it wouldn't be passed. So naturally, with the Cold War raging on, America, Russia, and China (when their representatives bothered to show up) couldn't agree on anything- ever and naturally nothing got done. Kinda like now with the whole Putin-Ukraine thing.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Twenty-One Guns**

 **A/N: I got reviews? Like, three hours after I posted? I think I'm gonna cry guys… so awesome. Shout out as promised to Listenerofshadows for guessing 2/3 new characters and for two Prussia-level awesome reviews here and on RF. And thanks to my regulars. Special thanks to rioludoodle for the new cover art for RF. In honour of me finally becoming a senior- you guys get this a day early! Do what you want with pairings I can't tell you no, but my OTP is in this chapter and I will do what I want with it. And I don't own Hetalia (but aside from the canon characters and their roles I own everything else in this series)**

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A lone blonde paced the halls of a pale throne room, his muffled footsteps a slow drumbeat echoing in the silence. It was late, well past midnight, and all but a few had gone to sleep hours ago in the sanctuary of either their homes or the servants' quarters.

He should have been asleep as well but in the events of the past three weeks, even before the re-connection with another kingdom, there were problems within his own borders. But that was Chess wasn't it?

Except, it used to _just_ be Chess. But now… now someone was about to be dragged into problems they had no place in and he might have been the only one able to prevent it. But what was Lukas supposed to do? Unlike that kingdom in the west he doesn't betray his fellow royals- even if it's for the greater good. No, if the man not-in-charge wanted something, he would almost always get it, greater good be damned.

Cards thought they had dysfunctional leaders- how amusing. They didn't live endless lives with an eternally depressed king and a bastard bishop that complained every second of the day about how _he_ should have been the king. Lukas was willing to bet the only reason the man was still alive was because he was a demon in battle and therefore the oldest of White Royalty.

Still, Matthias didn't know everything- not even close. He didn't see the rest of the moves behind that thick head of his and if he tried hard enough Berwald would eventually cave to whatever demands he'd cooked up. The only other sane member of the royal family was probably Queen Tino, even if he was a wimp and could almost never stand up to Matthias when he was out for blood. Unless Berwald was in danger, then all bets were off. Then there was Emil. The rook. He did… nothing. Matthias thought the rook was a waste of space that should be left to the army. (Read: Away from Lukas so the spiky-haired blonde would have more reason to visit him) Sure his nephew usually sided with him in arguments but had almost no influence in politics, which boiled down to Lukas being really the only sane member in the entirety of Chess.

Well, there was possibly one or two more, but if he was found out consorting with the enemy even Matthias could do nothing for him. Which was why it was nearly three in the morning and Lukas was pacing the halls of his castle back in White territory- another certain blonde was apparently on his way, courtesy of a few extremely loyal men who wanted to avoid war as much as possible.

After the tell-tale signs of a trench began to carve its way into the marble floors, commotion outside made Lukas practically sprint to the side door back behind the throne itself. _Feliks you were supposed to be here an hour ago. What happened? Pony decided it wanted a real man on its back?_

The mental scolding was silenced by a very not-Feliks blonde in the doorway. The split-second of surprise disappeared under complete stoicism.

"Matthias. What are you doing here?" Though he had a very good idea of why the bishop decided to pay him a visit in the dead of night, there was always that small possibility it was just Matthias being Matthias.

"Lukaaas!" He whined, trying and failing to hug the smaller blonde, "We've been together long enough for you to know that I hardly need a valid reason to come see you. Besides you seem to have been awake for a while now."

 _Damn that perceptiveness…_ Deciding he wasn't going to take the bait and correct Matthias' understanding of 'together' or mention exactly why he'd been awake, Lukas tried to find some ulterior motive in his words. Maybe he really was just being annoying?

"So Berwald sent you down here then."

"….possibly, but-!"

The knight turned away and walked off, discretely scanning the area for any sign of Feliks nearby. "I have much work to do courtesy of your incessant need for war, especially when my pawns are in the dark about exactly why we're preparing to fight an enemy that is not even our enemy." Technically he wasn't lying. Kinda.

Matthias ran up to him and effectively blocked the path ahead. "You are missing the big picture here, Luke!"

"I'm quite certain the big picture is standing right in front of me, very hard to miss. And my name is Lukas." Lukas pushed past him and decided that Matthias had to leave, it was too risky with him around. Maybe Feliks still hadn't appeared because he knew the bishop was there, the man had eyes and ears everywhere.

"But-"

"Goodnight, Matthias. I have much more work than you do and I need my sleep. You can have the floor in the kitchen if you must stay." He missed the completely over exaggerated pout on the nearly eight-hundred-year-old bishop's face in his quest to get out of there immediately.

The second he was out of sight he sprinted in the opposite direction of his nice, warm bed and into the cold, foggy night. He would worry about if Matthias bothered to look for him later, right now was focused on getting in contact with Feliks.

Two of the five or so guards still awake at this hour came up to him, half surprised and half relived expressions on their faces.

"Sir! An anonymous man said this was addressed to you, he left nearly thirty minutes ago." A crumpled envelope with his name scrawled on the front appeared and Lukas simply nodded and waved them off before opening it.

 _Dear Icy Broski,_

 _Raivis (our, like, paranoid bishop) totally won't let me leave without some of his pawns guarding me because he thinks I, like, have something to do with your stupid bishop's nearly declaring war (which I do, but he doesn't need to know that). There should be a rule somewhere that if I have two-hundred year superiority, I should, like, be able to pull rank. Anyway, remember that Cards captain, Ally-something? He went home about eight days ago but not before begging me to do something about Matthew._

 _So: Do something about Matthew. If Raivis is paranoid (like, more than normal) then Eduard will go all 'kill them before they kill us' on you guys and I'm not in the mood for homicide any time soon. I'll be in Cribbage (the one not blown up) in three days (like, Thursday) at the train station._

 _Sincerely, the_ _Pink_ _Black Knight (am I supposed to leave a line here?)_

 _P.S. I hate trains. But I can't take my pony._

Lukas read and re-read the note until the weight of it finally settled in. _So Feliks is in the same boat as me… I have to get rid of Matthias tonight if I plan on making Thursday._ He disappeared back inside the castle for the night, ideas already swarming like angry bees.

* * *

Rain. Of course there was rain. When was there ever a funeral without rain? This was the largest congregation of Spades citizens in history since the coronation of Alfred and every soul, whether attending or not, was in mourning. All flags were half-mast, all shops were closed, and what was left of the navy was all docked in the harbor.

A bird's eye view of an area the size of an Olympic stadium revealed a seamless mass of black umbrellas with blue dots like sprinkles on Devil's food cake, with the exception of a few red, orange, and green here and there. At the forefront of the procession stood the remaining royals and the entirety of Arthur's extended family- over twenty people ranging from three to eighty years of age. Even Queen Lili, dragging her brother along and all four of Hearts royalty attended, grieving the loss of an ally.

"Brother we should say something." Lili whispered just loud enough to be heard over the minister.

Basch shook his head almost imperceptibly. "We are providing our support just by being here, Lili. I don't want… It would feel wrong to say something now given what happened."

"It feels wrong not saying something given what happened." Lili countered, voice rising ever so slightly. "Francis will not shove his pride long enough to do so, we are the next best thing. Besides, it will help our kingdoms heal if we show support for them, they would come for us."

After Yao said his peace, the massive hole left by Matthew was quickly filled by the Queen of Diamonds. She looked incredibly small in comparison to the mass around her but spoke clearly and powerfully like anyone else. She talked about Arthur as a fellow queen and as a person. She talked about the one time he got drunk and accidentily sunk an entire cruiser with a cannonball. She talked about the war and everything they agreed could be mentioned to the public, being as vague as possible with the description she was given by Antonio. She talked about his dream of peace between the kingdoms, and how she hoped it could one day be a reality. She talked, and talked, and talked, and every single soul hung on every single word like they would shatter if they weren't handled with care.

Lili returned to her brother's side, happier that she'd been able to say what she wanted for her kingdom as well as herself.

"You did well, Lili. It was beautiful." Basch complimented quietly, watching Feliciano make his way to the front. Despite Feli's moving speech it paled in comparison to its predecessor.

The funeral took almost four hours in all, ending with the haunting canon-fire salute as the only sound beside the rain and thunder.

Hours later, after nearly everyone had gone home, the mood and weather had all but lightened.

"Well," Feliciano began, "What do we do now?"

"I am taking-"

"Allistor, enough." Alfred snapped. His glare immediately softened in silent apology. "You know I cannot condone sending an entire fleet of our navy to a neutral kingdom especially when I have no way to keep in contact with you."

"Is that it then?" Allistor sneered, stepping forward. "I just lost my cousin, and I know he is not coming back. My ace is still alive and I will not take part in another funeral. Enough with the rules of engagement, lad. _I_ was there, _I_ saw what happened. This is an attack on our kingdom whether direct or not and I, for one, do not intend to let it slide."

Kiku, sensing that it was not their place to be there, quietly left the hall followed by everyone save Yao and Dylan.

"In that case, Captain Allistor," Yao said, drawing the spotlight away from Alfred, "I, Yao, Jack of Spades and general of our military, formally discharge you from this navy, you are no longer of service."

The redhead's eyes widened and he just gaped at the man, unsure if he heard him correctly. "Sir, with-"

Yao held up a hand and spoke right over him. "Now, I am leaving in two days' time for the meeting of the jacks and will be temporarily out of contact from everyone including security under which I place Commander Dylan. All officers are to report to him if anything seems suspicious, is that understood?"

For a tenth of a second there was that gleam in his eye and a smirk on his lips, so quick it might not have happened at all.

"Yes, General Yao." The two saluted and left, neither catching the grin filled with pride on their superior's face.

"Well, I suppose that is one way to do it." Alfred surmised, fighting to keep a neutral expression.

Yao sighed, "I know how much you want him back, Alfred, let's just hope we won't be too late."

* * *

 _Forty-three bottles of beer on the wall, forty-three bottles of beer! Take one down, pass it around, forty-two bottles of beer on the wall. Forty-two bottles of beer on the wall…Beer. Food. Syrup. Maple syrup. Poutine…. Wait? Where have I heard that before? Ooh, Poutine_ and _maple syrup. One hundred cases of syrup in Spades, one hundred cases for me! Take them all down, hide them from town, no more cases of syrup in Spades…_

They were somewhere near civilization at this point, Matthew could tell because the dirt beneath the wheels of the cart finally shifted to stone of some sort. It made the ride twice as uncomfortable but at least he was near people. Maybe people with beer.

This wasn't the first time they'd crossed through a town, but the last one was just yesterday. That must've meant they had to turn away from the forest to get to wherever they were going- meaning they were close.

Much like last time, the team of whoever kidnapped him did the dog and pony show of making the cart look as inconspicuous as possible. Matthew was a good little prisoner remember? So of course he agreed to remain absolutely still and silent through the duration of the road else death by… well actually they never told him what the punishment would be. Just that there would be punishment.

Over the past few days he'd finally decided to be productive and actually listen to his captors' conversations. At this point he could recognize five of the eight voices of the men instantly and knew a few of their names.

Karl was the leader, from a few times he'd been able to see he figured out what he looked like: at least a head taller than Matthew, short, dark brown hair, and a little on the pudgy side. He was arrogant but loyal to his men from how he treated them.

Then there were Nikolas and Janez who, from their lively conversations, must have been brothers or cousins or something. He couldn't tell which was which by appearance but Nikolas had a deeper voice than Janez, less squeaky. They were also the two that gave him food most of the time.

Ian, who sounded remarkably like Roderich when he complained about sleeping in the dirt, was the pansy of the group and the one who hated Matthew the most for putting him through this. When it wasn't the brothers giving him dinner it was Ian. Usually 'accidentally' dropped in the dirt a few times. Matthew didn't hate a lot of people but Ian was definitely getting on his nerves. At least Karl noticed a few times and chastised him about 'keeping the prisoner healthy' and all that good stuff.

Adrian must've been second in command or something. He knew his appearance best. A short blonde much like himself, lithe, dark eyes, and a strange limp. He was largely apathetic toward Matthew, barely even acknowledging his presence. Adrian had the sense of direction in the group; that was all he knew about him. He was always the loudest, shouting directions and constantly talking with Karl about wherever they were going.

The other three… fuzzy background characters. They talked but it was usually intelligible muttering a too far away to understand. They were probably just in it for money like Ian.

They must've stopped somewhere to resupply because the cart finally stopped moving and provided a tiny respite from the harsh vibrations of a cobblestone road. Out of nowhere there was shouting off to the left. The cart was jostled roughly as sacks and boxes were unceremoniously dumped inside and within seconds they were riding faster than normal out of the town and back onto the dirt road.

They abruptly stopped and someone hauled Matthew up and out of the cart and removed the blindfold to reveal a chaotic sight. In Matthew's place on the cart lay a very pale and bleeding Nikolas, left hand pressed tightly against his shoulder. Janez was panicking uselessly while two others were trying desperately to staunch the blood flow with the abrasive blindfold cloth. Whatever they were doing wasn't working and really only made the situation worse.

Matthew made a decision. Was it a stupid decision? Maybe. But would karma finally notice him and do something for him for once in this past month? Hopefully. "Stop! You're doing it wrong!" He rasped, but no one heard him. Nikolas was not his friend, anything but really, but he was nice and didn't deserve to die. So Matthew, against his better judgement, pushed forward and got Karl's attention.

"What do you want, kid? Can't you see we're busy here?" The man snapped, not even bothering to look him in the eye.

"Your men are not handling the wound properly." Matthew repeated, "He is going to bleed out or get an infection unless you let me help him."

That got his attention. "Why should I trust you? Or better yet, why do you care?"

"Do you know who I am?" Matthew asked, seriously doubting the hired thugs actually knew anything.

"What does-"

"First off my name is Matthew. I am sixty-seven years old and the Ace of the Kingdom of Spades. It is my _job_ to care. Now will you let me help him or will you watch him die?" Karl debated the pros and cons of allowing it for only a moment before cutting the ropes around his wrists and shoving the others aside.

"Men, get back. Let the kid try." The others, Ian most prominently, looked at their leader like he was insane but backed away anyway. Mathew climbed into the cart and tossed the already soaked cloth overboard, quickly getting to work.

"Did anyone happen to buy alcohol in there?" Janez stopped panicking and dug through a box to pull out a half-empty bottle of whisky, tossing it to him. Matthew glanced down at Nikolas who was fading in and out of consciousness, whispering an apology before dumping a generous amount of whisky over his shoulder and on his hands. It would have to do for now, even if it wasn't the best choice of cleaning materials. "Janez put your hands here and hold it steady." Blood was already seeping through both of their fingers before Matthew quickly ripped up a hopefully-clean burlap sack of something lumpy into thin strips. Five minutes later the shoulder was wrapped as professionally as possible and Nikolas was out cold.

 _At least he'll live. Probably._ Matthew sighed and stood shakily from the cart, tiredly examining his work. He used the remaining whiskey to clean his hands again and finally looked up at the rather stunned company standing around him.

"He will need a real doctor but it is the best I can do for now. If you do not mind, what happened to him?"

"Bar fight." Adrian said, for once actually acknowledging Matthew.

"Should we get moving then?" The blonde walked up to Karl and held out a new piece of rope. He wasn't putting anything past these people after the way they'd been treating him thus far, even after this.

"Just… get in the back for now, alright?" Matthew decided not to question the man and sat down next to the comatose Nikolas. Being considerate had its merits then. Maybe now he could actually learn something from his captors and be able to eat and stand and even move his arms like a normal person.

"Thank you. For saving him." Janez mumbled, staring straight ahead as if he hadn't said anything at all.

Despite the circumstances Matthew gave a small smile that went unnoticed by the entire company. Yes, there would definitely be some answers given after this. It was about freaking time.

* * *

 **A/N: Violence! Bloodshed! Valley-girl speak! It's all so beautiful. As far as I'm concerned, Cribbage can be Random Swiss City #1. News! I made maps so far of Cards and Chess including the (lacking) amount of named cities for both on a brand new DeviantArt account which you can find the link for on my profile. Only one of Matthew's company is yet another fanon character and like last time you can have fun guessing who he is (he shan't be around for long, I'm not trying to overload you with new people).**

 ****Important for a later chapter I haven't written yet: Switzerland or Austria? You don't need context, just which would you prefer of the two? I can write both equally. Seriously, I need to know. Which ever gets more votes (just in comments, no polls) otherwise I'm rolling a dice. Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Loopholes**

 **A/N:** **Word count- over 4,000. Still waiting- Switzerland or Austria? And no one has guessed the identities of Časlov or the fourth fanon character in Mattie's group. Thanks for the reviews though! Languages: To make it as easy and simple for everyone including myself, non-English vocabulary used by any of the characters are regional dialects. Think Texas vs. New York but more extreme.**

* * *

Lovino liked being an ace, he really did. He got all the benefits of being a royal with almost none of the responsibility. No, he wasn't lazy, just... knew when he wanted to work. Which was rarely. But if it got done what does it matter by who or how in the end?

Lovino did like being an ace, except when he actually had to work. Or more precisely, had to work on his time off. Like now for instance. Uncle Feli was preparing his speech for the meeting of the jacks and for once wasn't procrastinating. So instead of writing it an hour before the meeting it was a whole _three_ hours before. Lovino, one of the few actually avidly supporting this grand alliance, actually wanted the speech to sound good (read: wrote it himself).

After the talk in the dungeon with Arthur what seemed like a lifetime ago, he changed his outlook on life. If he was going to live forever, why not do it in peace? Who cares about power? Who cares about money? Lovino just wanted a good economy, a well-oiled trade system, and enough chips to binge a few times on the best Hearts' fashion had to offer.

What can he say? Red was his color.

It was with those dreams of utopia in mind that he somewhat willingly followed Feliciano to the meeting to make sure he could recite the speech in his sleep.

Refraining from actually walking Feli up to the front door, he returned to the boat docked at Karnöffel along with three others. They were the last to arrive. Again. Feliciano bid him goodbye and walked inside, a cheery smile plastered on his face. Inside held an oh-so-excited air, emphasized by Roderich staring out a window with Basch occasionally glaring at him and Yao inconspicuously sharpening his sword.

What fun.

"I see you have finally decided to grace us with your presence, Feliciano." Yao said without looking up. He did, however, sheath the sword and look just slightly less bored than he was five seconds ago.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say let's get this over with, yes?" Roderich said, finally taking his seat and ignoring the grumblings of the only blonde in the room.

"I agree. Now, what are we here for?"

Three unanimous groans of annoyance were the only answers Feliciano got. He just shrugged it off and pulled out the speech his nephew was so kind to write for him.

"Let's make this as easy as possible." Yao started, "All in favor of desegregating the military and unifying it under the common government raise your hand."

Four arms rose as one.

"Fantastic. At least some of us have common sense. Now everyone-"

"General!" Someone burst through the meeting room doors dressed in Spades military attire with a four-band on his arm.

Yao sighed, "Did I not say everyone answers to Commander Dylan while I am away? What is so important that it had to come directly to me?"

The man shoved a report at him, "Captain Allistor has taken three of our ships and their entire crews without consent from anyone. This is mutiny!" If it really was mutiny, the soldiers should know better than to announce it to three rival jacks. They would have to work on that with the new recruits.

Yao skimmed over the report, feigning concern. "Yes, I see. Well unfortunately I discharged him from the military a few days ago, you will have to take up your case with the new queen. He is not my problem any longer."

"Sir, the queen has not been briefed yet on the matters of internal law." The man protested, looking rather lost and confused.

"That truly is a shame then. As I said," Yao folded the report and gave it back to him, "He is not my problem. Now, if everyone would pay attention we can discuss the new military structure…"

Perhaps the other jacks knew what he was doing. Perhaps they didn't. But until the union of the militaries Yao could do whatever he wanted and no one could tell him otherwise. Hopefully this alliance would be a lasting one this time. Military was the easy part. It would take generations before all four societies learned to coexist, if ever. Then there was the matter of leadership. What would happen if they unified? Would their positions in the government remain or was this the last generation of suit-identified ranks? He remembered the odd tale of the twin Italies, maybe it would be the same for them? The arrival of the new king and queen were evidence enough that the kingdoms weren't ready for this. The question was would they ever be?

* * *

"…Captain?"

"Aye?"

"What's going to happen when we get back? I mean… Even if the General kind of gave you permission, stealing three ships without authorization is grounds for a court-martial… for all of us."

Allistor turned to face his first mate, grinning rather mischievously. "You see lad, we're not returning without our ace by any means necessary. Upon said return we'll all receive a hero's welcome and just have to be pardoned. Plus," the captain returned to the wheel, "I don't work for no military any longer."

The first mate didn't know whether to feel guilty or exhilarated that his no-longer-captain had managed to drag him into this. Him and twenty-three other sailors. Truth be told he was so far down on the government ladder if he wasn't on the _Rummy's_ original run with the strange foreigner-doppelgänger-people he would never have known any of this had been going on.

But here he was. Back on the _Rummy_. Defying direct orders and under inevitable threat of a court-martial. And you know what? He couldn't really give a damn about the consequences because there was no going back now.

"Aye sir, a hero's welcome for us all."

Allistor cackled like a maniac and the first mate couldn't help but join in. _We're all going to die aren't we?_ The little optimist in his mind thought as they sailed East to do what they should have done before ever leaving the Empire- bring back their ace in the hole.

* * *

"Matthias, if you would please leave me be for just a few hours." It had been fourteen hours since the bishop had arrived and Lukas was about to throw him out a window overlooking a cliff. It wasn't that the man was annoying, which he was, but that Lukas had somewhere to be very, very soon and they were practically attached at the hip.

"But I never get to see you anymore!"

Lukas tried not to glare at him. "For better or for worse we live indefinitely- you can come see me later. As I've said at least ten times now, I have an army to coordinate and potential war to plan for reasons you have yet to inform me of."

Matthias blocked his path again so Lukas simply turned around and headed back in the opposite direction. "Trust me, Luke! I have it all under control, even got a few guys bringing up a package in a few days for us. I know you'll like it."

 _Package… he can't mean…?_ Lukas internally started hyperventilating. So Matthias _did_ know where Matthew was. Not only that but he would be in Anrufen in a few days if he read between the lines correctly. But he didn't know Lukas knew. Or did he? Was it a test to see if he knew anything? No, Matthias wasn't that smart. Was he? _Check damn it._

"Matthias, I can and will hex you if you do not leave." Any sane person (remember, Lukas was the only one) would have seen the displeasure radiating off the blonde and would have tripped over his own feet in an effort to run away. Matthias, of course, stayed rooted exactly where he was.

"But Berwald-"

"Since when do you follow his orders, Matthias?" Lukas made to leave once again but the bishop continued his role as a roadblock.

"Fine, you got me but-"

"Guards!" Immediately six men with the white horse emblem on their uniforms surrounded the bishop and silently dared him to try anything. Lukas shoved past them and headed to the stables. He wouldn't be able to rest tonight now because he'd be riding all night. But this meeting with Feliks was just too important. "Escort him out of here please, and make sure he _stays_ out." It was a last resort to sic his guards on the man because he felt terrible to do that to them. They didn't deserve the punishment of escorting the blonde-who-wouldn't-be-moved outside. In fact, no one did.

Taking only enough time to pack the essentials he was out on the road West in no time at all on one of his fastest horses, a bay named Pansi, unaware of the eyes watching his every move.

* * *

 _Of course he would want to rendezvous here._ Lukas stood outside the one and only _Prancing Pony_ hoping against all odds that no one recognized him for several reasons. With an exasperated sigh he opened the door and was met with the smell of stale beer and something…else. He honestly couldn't see Feliks ever wanting to go there, he was too clean for it. Feliks was better suited for a tea shop or a bistro, not a bar. But maybe that was the point. _(1)_

It wasn't hard to scope out the petite blonde among the rather burly patrons washing away their sorrows at the bottom of a mug. He was the only one eating a sandwich. With a fork. Who does that? _(2)_

Lukas wordlessly sat down looking bored as usual, and waited for Feliks to say something.

"So some of Raivis' men are, like, here with me for 'protection' but I totally gave them the slip this morning back at the inn I'm staying at. But, like, we should keep this short especially since you're in my territory again." Feliks finished off the sandwich and shoved the plate away, resting his head on his hands expectantly.

"Matthias knows something is up." Lukas deadpanned, "He came to 'visit' me unannounced and refused to leave, not that it's uncommon for him to do so. He mentioned a package that would be delivered up north soon and from the way he spoke of it I have reason to believe this 'package' is our missing ace."

Feliks just nodded slowly. "So what you're saying is he came down to investigate us."

Lukas sighed and glared at the table. "I don't know. Sometimes he is an idiot and sometimes he is cleverer than myself. Even with the centuries spent learning how he works I cannot always figure out what he's thinking. We need to be careful either way with this."

"Well as I said in the note I don't really want to fight you- Cards involved or not. Katyusha has spies everywhere and it won't take her long to figure out what the package is. When she does word will spread like a wildfire and I won't be able to contain it. It will be war over custody of the package to which I'm assuming will be used as leverage against Cards."

Feliks promptly ordered another sandwich and offered half to his friend/enemy/something-like-that who declined with an almost amicable attitude.

"I've been trying locator spells but he must be cloaked, meaning the people that took him are powerful enough to overpower my magic." Feliks shook his head.

"When we were on the road they were shooting at us. If they had magic and were ordered by someone to capture him they would have played it safe and not risked killing him."

"Maybe that was the point. Use guns to downplay their potential. Or he switched custody." Lukas countered. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a shady figure enter the bar in a dark coat with the collar pulled up. Though his clothes were mostly hidden, his shoes gave him away- military. Raivis' pawns had found them. "Right now it does not matter who has him, he's eventually going to Matthias and we need to get him away from there before Matthias either gets the information he wants or decides to go through with the bait plan."

Feliks picked up on Lukas' sudden tenseness and tried thinking of an explanation for the man currently watching them. "We? Look broski, I can't do anything at this point except keep White at bay long enough for you to get him out of Anrufen. Once he's out of the city I can help him if needed. Now, I need to get back home, it was nice talking to you, sir."

The blonde stood, tipped an imaginary hat, and left the bar without a single glance toward the bishop's pawn. Lukas waited for the pawn to follow before leaving the bar himself to make the long ride back home. The only thing they'd settled was that it really was up to Lukas to rescue Matthew without getting caught by Matthias and tried for treason.

Never in his long life would he have ever dreamed of allying with the Black Knight. Nor did he dream of betraying his kingdom to save a kingdom he really shouldn't care about even after he declared adamantly he wouldn't. Oh how times change. But now that he was here and not getting out of it, it wasn't as terrible as one would think. As long as he took it one move at a time and always made sure to check the enemy, he shouldn't lose. _Couldn't_ lose.

* * *

There were still many questions buzzing around Matthew's head that needed answering but there was a new one at the forefront of the fight to get resolved: Why wasn't Nikolas stabbed in the shoulder a week ago?

If he knew bandaging up the man would get him a fricken bedroll an hour later he would have paid someone to stab him just to reap the benefits… Well actually he would never do that but the point is all the same.

Nikolas had finally awoken nearly sixteen hours after the incident at the bar, moaning about his poor aching shoulder. But when Janez told him what had transpired after he passed out the raven stuttered a 'thank you' and looked at Matthew with new light in his eyes.

Then word circled back around that Matthew was a royal and the brothers were like little kids asking all these questions about the blonde and his kingdom. How old was he? Did he have any relatives? What was Cards like? Did they fight as much as Chess? How did Matthew end up an ocean away from home? And so on. It started to feel less like capture and more like just travel with friends each day that passed by. That little annoying voice in the back of his mind relentlessly kept reminding him that each day spent answering their questions was another day spent away from home.

Eventually Matthew worked up the courage to ask his own questions one day.

"So you know plenty about me, but what about you two? How did you end up here playing delivery boys to whoever you work for?" Karl shot them a warning look, acting like he only just started paying attention that instant instead of listening in the entire time.

He'd actually learned quite a bit about the brothers, the cynic, the scout, and the leader of the group but they'd always danced around the subject of what brought them all together for this wonderful journey. He learned Nikolas and Janez hailed from the northern area of the Empire, in the realm of the White Queen, while Adrian was from the opposite direction on the southern border of the continent back in the White Knight's territory and knew a tiny bit of magic, mostly defensive. He'd learned that Karl did have a soul after all and had a family back home to support with the money he got from these jobs. The brothers had talked jokingly about Ian's status back home in the north as a postman, never revealing if they were actually being serious or not.

Karl and Adrian were the only two with prior experience together aside from the brothers, having been doing… whatever this was, for over five years and counting. Even without them saying it, Matthew knew none of them were connected with the "Crimson Pawn" people Feliks had talked about. No, he didn't know how to point one out exactly, but from the treatment he'd had thus far they just weren't… they didn't _enjoy_ this. They did it for money. He had the idea that the infamous underground task force would enjoy every second of their job. But then that begged the question of who exactly these people were. Just muscle for hire then? Mercenaries?

"Long story short we needed the money and it didn't seem like too bad of a job." Janez started, shrugging offhandedly and abruptly jarring Matthew from his musings. "Catch some mystery man, bring him to our employer alive and well, and we each get a good sum for our troubles." Matthew noticed how he carefully worded his response so as to not give away anything the blonde could use to his advantage. He had to admit the level of loyalty and focus these people had even when they looked so casual was astounding, even though it worked against him.

Matthew had tried garnering sympathy but even Nikolas shut up tight when anything involving their employer or anything too specific was brought up. Well try, try again, as they say. Up ahead Adrian announced they were a little over an hour away from their destination, earning a few cheers from the group.

"So this is it then?" The ace tried for the last time. "You guys drop me off wherever I am supposed to go, collect your pay, and go home?"

Janez nodded solemnly, the cracks in that weathered mask starting to resurface but never growing any larger. "Yep. That sounds about right." Even now he knew they weren't going to give anything away.

"Well if you ever make it West not on a mission to kidnap a royal just tell them you know me. I'll show you around some day." Matthew stated firmly, knowing despite the circumstances he would do as he promised for the only two that really showed him respect.

"Kid, what makes you think you're going home any time soon?" Ian chastised from way in the back, finally caving and getting in on the conversation.

"Ian, with all _due_ respect, I have lived two lifetimes and I still look nineteen. I am not a kid and have not been for a very long time." Matthew stated as coldly as he dared, "And to answer your question: If I do not believe I will make it home, then I will not. Simple as that. This is merely a road bump I have encountered, not a road block. Let us hope that after we depart you never cross paths with a royal of the West again because you will not live to regret it."

Smirking at Ian's indignant sputtering, Matthew watched Nikolas and Janez fail epically at holding in their laughter at the blonde's stern declaration. He didn't care if they believed him or not, nor did he care what became of his captors after they parted ways, but he did care about the present and the shy ace had finally had enough of the condescension. And he was willing to bet that if his theories were correct about what his purpose was here, even Ivan would exact revenge for the position Matthew was forced to play.

They walked in silence for the remainder of the hour. It was borderline uncomfortable. Ian kept giving him dirty looks, Nikolas did his best to avoid eye contact, and Janez drummed a familiar tune against the side of the wagon. He tried to figure out if it was an actual song he knew instead of rhythm-less tapping. It was after one string of fast paced yet individualized notes that he finally figured it out- an old war song from centuries past, so far back the settlers of Cards knew it.

If he remembered the story correctly, it was written about a pawn that shouldn't have been in the first war between Black and White, written by a family member. They'd changed the lyrics when it came to Cards, but the meaning was all the same.

He hadn't heard it in forever, almost no one in the modern age remembered it. He knew Yao did, probably Gilbert and Peter too, but it wasn't exactly a song one played at a party. Why Janez knew it was beyond strange but maybe it was still popular in Chess. Why he chose to play the song in the first place may have been unintentional, or maybe it wasn't. Neither acknowledged it in the end. _(3)_

Just before reaching the city limits the cart slowed and Matthew correctly guessed what that meant. At least Janez tied the ropes loose this time instead of digging into his wrists like most of the journey. The brothers actually looked mildly sympathetic before Karl walked up to him with a rifle in hand. Couldn't do with a conscious prisoner now could they? They had to make it look convincing and not like they'd been relaxing the past two days making buddy-buddy. Because to anyone who asked that was exactly _not_ what happened, else possible punishment for all parties involved.

"I truly am sorry this had to happen to you." He murmured before striking the butt of the rifle against the blonde's temple, sending him into peaceful darkness.

* * *

 **A/N: Anrufen: Random German city #2. I have a habit of always making Matthew's scenes come last in the chapter. It isn't on purpose I swear, just how the chips fall ;). At least the travel arc is over finally and I can get to the actual plot that concerns him. Hopefully I can end the tragedy that is currently Matthew's role. This wasn't originally meant to be a form of Stockholm syndrome but hey, it worked in the end didn't it? Thanks for the continued support!**

 **Footnotes:**

 **1: Disclaimer-** ** _The Prancing Pony_** **is a tavern in Tolkien's** ** _The Lord of the Rings_** **series, not my creation. Though it is fitting for Feliks isn't it?**

 **2: Ah, British people. You can tell a British tourist from the rest of the American population by the way they may eat their food- with a fork and knife. I.e. Sandwiches with a fork. And fries (yes fries, not chips). And anything else one would eat with their fingers like a normal person. Oh and if they go lobster at the beach in less than an hour (gotta compete with us Floridians and such). We love ya anyway guys, no hard feelings?**

 **3: Alright, the song I'm referencing has three versions that I know of. The original-** ** _When Johnny Comes Marching Home_** **\- is from the American Civil War. Most people know it now as** ** _Ants Go Marching_** **, a pretty unique tune but far less dramatic than the original. The third version I know is from a Hetalia game that was never finished but the soundtrack is on YouTube.** ** _War Hero (America's theme)_** **on the "Memories of Hetalia" OST. The entire soundtrack is amazing and** ** _Lullaby for a Passing Life_** **is my favorite.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Spelunking Amongst the Prison Cells**

 **A/N: I'm on Pandora listening to the _Lord of the Rings_ OST as I write this and I have to say it's fitting for this AU I've constructed. Simon and Garfunkel's _Sound of Silence_ works too on a literary level, if you wanted background music (maybe some of the more depressing HetaOni songs later too). Does anyone else see a bunch of code when they first edit a recently-submitted chapter?**

* * *

Matthias was a man on a mission, a mission to gain information. People, for whatever reason, assumed he couldn't successfully plan and carry out operations as well as anyone else. All except one. He knew it would be difficult to interrogate Lukas without the knight's knowledge and was proven correct by his constantly guarded appearance- which was a new development even for him if even Matthias could pick it up.

He didn't have to say anything for Matthias to know Lukas wasn't the innocent man he was hoping for, and the extra pawn he'd brought with him paid off in the end. No, he didn't know exactly where he went or why but there were less than five people in the world that could see through that blank stoicism the blonde loved so much and the mentioning of the package was all he needed to know.

"You just had to get involved, didn't you?" Matthias grumbled as he made his way through the loosely-guarded castle. The nice thing about being on the same side was that one's teammates never really considered other teammates a threat. Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer, as they say. Someone should really fix that, it's completely wrong.

Did he want to have to sabotage his best friend's hard-earned magic supplies for the sake of paranoia and superstition? No. But Lukas didn't always know what was good for him, an outside opinion was a must. The knight was such a workaholic that he never set aside time for fun. Matthias on the other hand had the 'play now, pay later' ideology and surviving three hundred and fifty years on this earth must've meant he wasn't doing anything wrong.

He was doing this to help his friend. That was it. If he got Lukas out of the ditch he's in early on, he could avoid being tried for treason later and he didn't want to have to train a new knight. Matthias knew what was good for Lukas, they were brothers in arms after all. All would be well, this was just a bit of collateral damage.

It was with that saintly ideology that Matthias made a clean escape from the porcelain castle with his trusted pawn to head back up north.

The ends justify the means. A few pawns sacrificed now pave the way to check make. Why was he the only one that saw it that way?

* * *

How many times can one say 'the situation can always be worse' before that's a lie? It was a nice city, really. Big marble columns, statues everywhere, very Greek in design despite the location, from what he could see. Judging by the air they were somewhere in the north and by the coast, not that it narrowed down anything at all.

Matthew woke up in a holding cell with a killer headache and no idea what led up to the current situation. Then it all came crashing back at once and he just lay on the ground staring up at the ceiling for a while, at a complete loss at what to do now. The situation could always be worse right? At least he was free to walk around in the ten-by-ten foot square of stone. The light, albeit a small amount, was welcomed with open arms. This was nothing like the prisons back in Cards, but it was way more humid there and that made the largest difference.

"So you are the man I hear so much about." A loud voice called from behind him. Matthew jumped up too fast and almost fell down again from dizziness to see an unfamiliar spiky-haired blonde grinning at him through the bars.

"Who are you?" He wanted to sound tough, intimidating, but what came out was a startled, timid voice not threatening in the slightest. Fantastic. Judging by the man's near completely white attire, wherever he was, was still in Chess and most likely a White city. Not that it helped much, he knew nothing about the geography of the empire. The only thing it meant was that his only sort-of-ally would be hard pressed to rescue him, if that was even on the agenda at all.

The blonde chuckled and held out a hand through the bars. "Excuse me, I'm not used to people not recognizing me. My name is Matthias, White Bishop." Matthew chose to go along with whatever this guy was up to and shook his hand.

"My name is Matthew…" He said, trying to not give away too much come worst-case scenario. This must've been their employer. He doubted anyone ranked above the bishop's status except the king and queen. If it was anything like Cards and if either of them wanted him he wouldn't be in the bishop's territory. Meaning this guy probably knew a lot more about him than he was comfortable with.

Matthias seemed to remember something at that moment because he immediately reached for the keys of the cell and unlocked it. "Where are my manners? Come, I will show you around my city." With no real other option the ace followed the bishop outside into the gleaming city, something truly magnificent even compared to the best cities in Cards.

Almost every single building was some shade of white with either gray or black two-tones artfully decorating the walls. The street was surprisingly bright red brick, chipped and weathered in a few places but otherwise well intact. Much like Cards there were bishop silhouettes everywhere- on signs, buildings, even the pennants hanging like banners on a few streets. It looked like they were decorating for a festival or something if the many boxes on the sidewalk were anything to go by.

If he stood on his tip toes and looked over the wrought iron fencing he could see a rocky ocean to the north nearly covered in whitecaps. It was cloudy but not too cloudy, winy but not too windy as a city on the coast would be. All in all everything about it screamed elegance and superiority but also weariness and age if he looked hard enough.

He really did try to pay attention to his eccentric tour guide boast about the still-nameless city but his stomach wouldn't allow it. A loud howl made them both freeze and poor Matthew go tomato-red.

"I forgot food!" Matthias yelled over the obvious embarrassment of being such a terrible host, eagerly dragging the other blonde in a random direction. "Please forgive me, Richard."

"It's Matthew…" He mumbled, but of course went unheard.

What felt like seconds later, both blondes were sitting in some sort of restaurant overlooking the main street through the city. The hostess practically stumbled over her feet in an effort to serve them as quickly as possible It wasn't every day the Bishop waltzed in to 'grace them with his presence', as he would often proclaim.

"So Markus-" The bishop began, only to be cut off.

"Matthew."

"Huh?"

He tried holding back a sigh, "My name is Matthew, not Markus."

At least the man had the decency to look apologetic, even if he didn't actually apologize. "Matthew then, do you like pancakes?"

"…What?" Did he miss something somewhere? The Bishop of White had to know who he was, unless he usually took prisoners out to breakfast but that was highly unlikely.

"Pancakes." He repeated. "You know, batter cooked in a skillet in the shape of a circle, usually comes with syrup? Do they not have that in S- wherever you're from?" He carefully acted out the art of flipping pancakes to illustrate the point, acting as if Matthew was a complete alien.

Matthew missed the slip up completely, instead waiting for Matthias to do…anything really that would make sense. "I know what pancakes are and yes, I like them. Why?"

"Awesome!" He said and left it at that, waving the hostess over and whispering something to her. She nodded eagerly and rushed to the kitchen to start their order. "So tell me about yourself, how are you liking Anrufen? My sincerest apologies again for the treatment but as you may know the rivalry between Black and White has led to some… _unconventional_ methods of security."

Matthew guessed 'Anrufen' was the name of the city. _Maybe if I can get my hands on a map I can figure out how to get home._ Either Matthias was an idiot or thought Matthew was because if he thought the ace was going to buy that load of crap he'd better give up now.

"The city is magnificent really, grander than back home for sure." _Just play along, act like you're his friend so he drops his guard, and you can run away later._ Matthias nodded as if that one sentence answered all his questions.

"And where exactly is that?" He asked casually, taking a long sip of whatever the hostess brought them.

 _This man does not know the definition of subtlety… but at least I'm not in prison any longer._ "It is a small village in the south, possibly not even on the map." He technically wasn't lying. Even if they had a map of Cards, Spades' capitol had burned down, flooded, and been leveled in a hurricane so it had been moved all around the peninsula over the course of just under 600 years.

"Cool, cool…" He said, trailing off and staring into space until breakfast came. "Food!" He cheered, throwing a dazzling grin at the hostess in appreciation.

Matthew looked down at the plate set between them piled high with…something. They smelled amazing but looked so strange, almost like spherical dumplings but made out of pancake batter.

Seeing the confusion written clearly all over his face, Matthias laughed and placed a few of the pancake things on his plate, sliding the plate over. "They're called æbleskiver. Trust me when I say they are the best breakfast food on the planet." _(1)_

Matthew frowned, he was being awfully nice today. _He just wants information about home. That's why he's going out of his way to get on my good side._ Regardless, these _æbleskiver_ were delicious. Maybe he could drop his guard, just a little bit. This was Chess after all, and he was probably the first western soul to set foot here in centuries.

Maybe stopping to smell the roses was okay, so long as he avoided the thorns.

* * *

Časlov was getting annoyed. He felt like one of the new kids at school the populars had played a prank on and no one was telling him that the 'kick me' sign was still on his back. It wasn't his fault he woke up one day and realized with horror two things: King Ivan was gone and now instead of enjoying life as a happy nineteen-year-old he was now stuck with the worst job imaginable- fixing all the man's mistakes.

In the kingdom of Clubs three things were drilled into their minds as children: Spades is evil, Clubs is the motherland, and never piss off any of the royals, no matter which jurisdiction they have. Even Natalya should be taken with great care, despite her melancholy attitude.

So when up out of nowhere the ghost of royals past hands him a one-way ticket to the emerald castle, the least he expected was to be told _how_ Ivan the Saint had been offed by someone in the war. He even knew exactly how that guy Arthur died and only two of Clubs royals were present!

Roderich and Elisaveta only talked to him when they absolutely had to, directing him to Natalya for the class on 'running an entire kingdom with no prior experience whatsoever' who then directed him back to them.

So what did he do next? Why, the most logical answer of course- hijack a boat and sail right to the red kingdom in the south. It would have been easier and closer to go to Spades but from what little he knew about them and how they looked at the last big meeting, he didn't want to get involved. The same with Diamonds. He half feared that by trying to get advice from the vengeful blonde he would piss off the ticking time bomb that was Alfred. That and he found Antonio to be slightly creepy. Way too happy all the time. So to Hearts it was.

Besides, no one would notice or care if he was gone anyway. But maybe he was overreacting. That new queen- Elise or something- looked just as lost and confused as he was whenever he tried and failed to start up a conversation. That was what they were there for right? Making buddy-buddy with everyone and singing Kumbaya?

Apparently it was… _uncommon_ for royals to appear in frienemy capitols unannounced. The guards looked stricken between aiming their canons at him and paving his way with golden bricks. So Časlov made it easy.

"I surrender!" He yelled, holding his empty hands up for all to see. "I, um..." _You idiot! How did you think this was going to go? Say something, glupane!_ "I come in peace?" He finished weakly, wincing at his own words. _(2)_

Twenty minutes later Lovino arrived to rescue him and sort out the mess he'd caused.

"You should have thought this out more. Or at least messaged ahead." Lovino unnecessarily chastised.

Časlov just frowned, inwardly sighing. "When Elisaveta decides to use her magic and help me, I will do so."

"Is that why you decided to come here of all places? Answers, I'm assuming?" The ace held open a carriage door for him and completely missed the expression of shock.

"How did you know?"

Lovino scoffed and tapped the ceiling, letting the driver know they were ready. "You think you're the first to go through this, kid?"

"I'm like two years- never mind." Časlov sighed and rested tiredly against the window. "I know I'm not the first one, but how did all of you get through it? I mean, the only time royals die is during war right? So why was this one so different?"

"Well actually the first Ace of Spades committed suicide." Lovino admitted offhandedly, taking a sudden interest in the satin curtains on his window. "Who knows? Maybe the current one will too. How much do you know already?"

"My name is Časlov and two weeks and a day ago I found out I'm the new king." The brunette deadpanned.

Lovino arched an eyebrow. "They must really hate you then. We have work to do."

"You were there right? On the beach?"

"Ki-Časlov, I was everywhere. On the beach, in a dungeon, just back on Karnöffel to drop off my stupid uncle, why?" He wanted to ask about the dungeon incident but it wasn't the most pressing matter at the moment.

"How did Ivan die?" Lovino's expression visibly darkened and he turned away. "What? Is it kingdom-wide 'keep everything from the newbie week'?" He snapped, getting increasingly agitated at the seemingly taboo subject. Lovino muttered a 'why me?' before remaining silent for the remainder of the ride. Or at least trying to.

"I didn't ask for this. The least any of you could do was help me out here. How do any of you expect me to cooperate with you if no one freaking tells me anything?!"

The ace glared at him, "Do you think any of us actually _wanted_ this job? You want to know how he died? His immortal doppelgänger from an alternate dimension had is way with a metal faucet pipe."

Časlov's first instinct was to call an obvious lie but the way Lovino spat out the words like they were poison made him hesitate. Maybe it was so ludicrous that it just had to be true. So instead of retorting he just sat back in tense silence until the ruby banners of the castle came into view.

Lovino left without a word, merely beckoning the king to follow with a wave of his hand. Časlov did his best not to gawk like a tourist, even though he was, at the looming structure ahead of him. It looked remarkably like Clubs' main castle, except with tones ranging from red-orange to a maroon-mahogany color. From the ground it looked to have three floors at various heights and tons of windows overlooking the city around it.

Inside there were only a few people, servants and maids doing their daily rounds. A few looked up and bowed their heads silently in respect before continuing on. Both of their shoes clicked solidly against the tile flooring, colored in varying pink hues.

It was like a maze, all these twists, turns, and various doors to other hallways and rooms. Eventually they came to a large dark wood door that Lovino actually had to unlock with three separate keys. Inside he lit an oil lantern to reveal hundreds of rolled up documents and cabinets crowing the low-ceilinged room.

"Everything in here is the entire history of Hearts and most of the former Red Dominion's original works." Lovino said, hanging the lantern up and proceeding to light three more around a large collection of tables. Sure Časlov knew the basic history of how one kingdom eventually split into four but Clubs teachers were vague at best on the histories of other kingdoms.

The ace gestured to the tables as if to ask, 'what do you want to know first?' The brunette hesitated before touching anything, stepping back and just taking in every detail he could. "Why are you showing me this? How do you know I won't take everything and use it against you?"

Lovino didn't meet his eyes when he spoke, instead he stared off into space, "Do you know what Sages are?"

"What?" Well that… wasn't the response he was expecting. "No, why does that matter?" Lovino said nothing as he dug through a few cabinets before coming up with an old encyclopedia-esque book.

"The Sages," He started, flipping through the dusty tome, "Were, according to the original rulers of this land back before the initial split, the people who prophesized who became a new royal." Lovino passed him the book and on one page was some handwritten entry about them and on the other was a sketch of one in black ink. Though faded from age he could distinguish a robe of sorts decorated with some symbols- most likely the four suits- donning the front on a sash like a long scarf. The handwriting was nearly intelligible so he didn't bother trying to decipher it, instead waiting for the apparently all-knowing ace to explain.

"Before the first split, which I'm sure you learned about in school," at Časlov's nod of affirmation he continued, "Their order was revered like some almighty force, which, in a way, it was. People were born with the 'Sight' as they called it, strong bloodlines dating back to the old kingdoms in the East. They knew weeks, sometimes months in advance who the next royal would be and the government always played right into Fate's hands. Back then successors were actually trained in their positions before taking them.

"When tensions began between the north and south over the Timepiece, the ruler of the Black Dominion thought that if there were no Sages, anyone could take the throne with the right spell, so he massacred them all. Not a single one remains that we know of. Obviously it failed and even after all these years no one has figured out how it works." _(3)_

Časlov, who'd been listening quietly waiting for the eventual point of it all, frowned when it never came. "That's terrible but what does it matter now?" For his part, Lovino did try to suppress the eye roll.

"You asked how I knew you were not going to simply take everything from here and use it against us. There's your answer. Innocent families were murdered for the sake of knowledge and power and it did nothing for anyone. I believe in the merge of the four kingdoms. I also believe we're too tired to try anything at this point and I know you do too. Because there is no point. The past is the past. The Sages are never coming back, neither is the Timepiece, what is there left to do but just get along?"

"How do you know all of this?" They were polar opposites on the knowledge spectrum at this point. Listening to Lovino talk only made him realize just how much he didn't know, even about his own ancestors.

"What do you think the role of the ace is? Jacks get the military, Queens get internal affairs, Kings have foreign affairs. There's only one position left: Historian. We can't train successors anymore so the next best thing is to have the person least likely to die record everything." Časlov gave a noncommittal sigh in response and for the rest of the day the King of Clubs and the Ace of Hearts cooperated at a level only seen when the kingdoms were united centuries ago.

* * *

 **A/N: Why can't I write optimism? Something good will happen to these characters soon enough. Thanks again for reviews and support. You guys are awesome. Summer makes it hard to keep on schedule, I remembered I had to update about twenty minutes before it posted.**

 **Footnotes:**

 **1: Correct me if I spelled the plural incorrectly, the Danish side of my family has been in the States for generations. Æbleskiver(s?) are a real Danish breakfast and they really do look like pancake balls. My family makes them traditionally with an old Danish recipe (with the special -like eight pound- cast-iron pan and everything) but like regular pancakes you can add whatever you want to the mix. Or at least we do.**

 **2: _Glupane:_ presumably idiot, stupid, ect in Croatian. Which means Časlov is one of two versions of fanon Croatia (I think the other is female). Google translate sucks. Congrats to any and all who got him right. Also- I know what you're thinking- I'm not shipping the greenie royals. Well… maybe. If it doesn't get in the way later- I'm hoping to avoid Romeo and Juliet here.**

 **3: I half borrowed from ATLA, half just repeated common history. People were swept under the rug all the time especially in monarchies if they knew too much or if they stood in the way of the throne. Namely the French, The English, and, well the Scandinavians either slaughtered their enemies or turned the entire country against them, usually with some "my father's father's father's vendetta" ideology going on. We tried it here with a few presidents too. Hooray for the 2nd Amendment, 'tis the best idea ever.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Paranoia**

 **A/N: Come on, they're tied- Austria or Switzerland? IMPORTANT: I can kinda write romance but only if at least one person actually wants me to. So- Časlov and Lisa, yay or nay? If I get no response, I just might do it anyway.**

* * *

"You're trapped now, Feliks! I've got you surrounded. What are you going to do?"

"As if trapping the Black Knight could be that easy. I'll get out with time to spare."

"But this game requires the patience that you don't have much of-"

"You forgot about the Feliks rule which means I can do whatever I want!"

 _It's not fair, he even acknowledges that he's cheating but doesn't give me a chance! I thought we were on the same side? Why am I always playing white?_ Queen Eduard had conveniently reminded his fellow royals of their annual "team building retreat" off in the mountains of his realm. Feliks was happy about it because it meant everyone he had to worry about would be in one place in the isolated north away from convenient pawns to pass on influential information.

Toris was happy because the retreat locked away kingdom worries in a small metal box for a little while and allowed all of them to embrace the regular human side he still hadn't let go of. But the retreat also meant he was stuck in a 3,000 square foot building for two days with all five members of the Black royal family and it had been barely twelve hours in. _(1)_

The slippery slope downhill began when Feliks brought out the old mahogany chessboard and marble pieces to "reenact his best moments in war". Less than twenty minutes later Raivis and Katyusha had taken turns trying to pry the white rook out of the ceiling after Feliks' rather eccentric retelling of the Battle of Leena some two hundred years ago. It ended in Black victory of course, with the rook's pawns completely decimated.

So Toris had suggested a less volatile way to use the little figurines- actually playing the game. Who invented it, they had no idea, but someone had created models of the first royals and made a game out of it assigning moves to each one. Like toy soldiers they were mass produced and simplified into the abstract rounded ones the entire continent knew.

The board they owned was one of the originals, still holding a likeness to the vaguely familiar faces of royals past. It had been a good game, Toris had actually pulled ahead but made the foolhardy decision of teasing Feliks about it and we all know what happened after that.

Apparently the "Feliks rule" wasn't completely made up. He was the oldest of Black royalty for a reason, after all. Still, even if it had true origins Toris guessed it didn't culminate in catapulting white chess pieces across the courtyard with a silver spoon.

"Ah… I guess you win again, Feliks." Toris muttered, watching Feliks crawl around in the dirt to find said chess pieces.

Toris had been around just long enough to be in that weird transition zone between his old life and his new one, still had strong ties to his family directed full attention to his job when needed. Feliks had put the most effort into helping him cope when he first showed up on the onyx steps of the recently widowed castle of the Black King. Feliks was also the one that retold the embarrassing story over and over again despite the brunette's pleas.

How was he supposed to act? Toris wasn't a "see all, take all" kind of guy. When the Sages knocked on his door with blank expressions just three days before his predecessor died, he did the obvious thing and freaked out, telling them they had the wrong guy. Three days went by and even though his own mind was screaming at him that yes, it was him and no one else, he still didn't want to believe it.

His new family was kind, considerate, and worked well as a team. They were all he could have ever asked for when being thrust into a life he wasn't cut out for. Even if Feliks occasionally walked over him like he was the door mat's door mat.

They were well-oiled cogs in a well-wound clock stuck in time with each other and only each other. So why did the air seem off that day? No one thought he noticed but the rift between Feliks and Raivis was obvious as much as they tried to hide it from him. As much as he cared about what the problem was, he cared more about why they were trying to keep it from him.

But he was still Toris even if the "Laurinaitis" part had been burned away. So he watched the bishop and knight walk off as discretely as possible without saying a word.

* * *

Feliks wished Raivis would take the hint and go away. True, if they switched positions Feliks would have done the same thing and taken advantage of the fact that he couldn't escape to question him, but still. It was one of those "do as I say, not as I do" things and he really wished Raivis would listen for once.

He had seniority. He was a better fighter, planner, executer, and liar. Whatever the bishop could throw at him, he could deflect.

"What were you doing in Cribbage, Feliks?" Raivis started bluntly, stepping forward and crossing his arms and trying really hard to get eyelevel with the knight, which was impossible and hilarious. He never did figure out the art of subtlety or reviewing thoughts before speaking them.

"What are you doing spying on a fellow royal, Raivis? Don't you trust me?" The bishop had made a stupid move outing that he knew where Feliks was and the blonde used it against him. It was pointless to feign ignorance or innocence, he knew the pawn had seen him it would only damage his argument if he lied about it.

"Whether I trust you or not is out of the question, as members of Black royalty it's our job to-"

"Whether you trust me or not is the only question, Raivis. And in turn, whether I trust you." This is exactly why Feliks had lasted so long. Even his own "family" forgot how manipulative he could be.

Sky-blue eyes narrowed, "Your current antics make it hard for me to trust you. I shouldn't have to send pawns in after you to keep tabs for me." Another thing he should not have said. _Tsk, tsk. You would have died a long time ago if it wasn't for the rest of us stuck in this three-legged race with you._

"You don't have to. I have more weight in this world than you do, we can't go around each other with guns half-cocked, especially around Toris." Feliks knew he had backed Raivis into a corner. He couldn't continue to attack the blonde because the others would eventually catch on and see how he'd been treating Feliks with no real evidence to support his claims. He also couldn't back off because it would allow Feliks to continue with his plans unhindered.

Feliks smirked as Raivis silently stormed off with his head held high. Now that his friends were taken care of, he could go back to writing letters to Lukas. It was nice to have a good reputation across the board, it meant underlings would be more inclined to agree to crazy schemes like sneaking around the woods behind the retreat cabin to take messages Feliks buries in the dirt.

The best part was no one suspected a thing, even when he made it obvious by catapulting a the white knight chess piece into the grass directly on top of the newest message so the pawns would know where to look.

By the end of the weekend he'd be back in Carthage, ready and willing to commit treason against his family to save his family. Funny how that worked. He'd thought about spilling everything to the four of them and asking for assistance but more soldiers traipsing through a minefield were more prone to blowing up than just one.

* * *

It turned out it _was_ a festival they were putting together. A solstice festival celebrating the longest day of summer. All along the streets of the city long lengths of rope supported white and black paper lanterns strung in a zig-zag fashion from building to building. Almost all of the shops were closed but there were more lights in every window facing the streets. Some were candles, lanterns, or standard incandescent bulbs illuminating decorative paper shades.

It was only around six-o-clock, the sun still high up in the sky, but people were already swarming the streets and little vendor stands selling everything from food to jewelry to clothes. Various instruments faded in and out over the din of the crowd, mostly folk songs Matthew didn't recognize. Quite a few people were dancing animatedly in the streets, dressed in a multitude of colors in stark contrast to the general whiteness of the rest of the place.

"So what do you think?" Matthias's sudden appearance right next to him nearly shattered the moment. "It's called the Sun Festival, we're one of the last few cities that still celebrate it over here. The Moon Festival- that's on the winter solstice- is more popular in the north."

Matthew really didn't know what to say, he was still taking it all in. "It's spectacular… no one in my village ever told me about it." _Lies, lies, lies_. He tried not to think about the continuous lie he'd been telling to the guy who'd only spoken the truth since they'd met.

Matthias shrugged and led him over to one of the vendor stands selling ceramics. "It's an important part of Chess history, used to be celebrated across the continent." Matthew gingerly picked up a hand-painted vase, beautifully depicting a lush countryside. The vendor simply smiled without saying a word, letting his works sell themselves.

The Ace was surprised how easily Matthias blended with the rest of the crowd, not drawing any extra attention to himself at all, as if he was just another citizen. People barely even spared them a second glance, even when they occasionally bumped into them. Matthew figured that from the very little he knew about Chess they would be more paranoid about assassins and such but apparently… it was like this day was a special day set aside just to enjoy away from the worries of the world.

Setting the vase back down, Matthew smiled sheepishly at the vendor and shook his head. He had no money nor the ability to keep anything he would have potentially bought with him. The only thing Matthew would have were the memories of the place, and that would have to do.

"So why is the festival special? You said it was important to your history."

Matthias grinned, clearly happy that the Ace prompted the conversation instead of himself. "Long story short the solstices marked new beginnings and the end of an era of sorts. People could start over with a clean slate. Most of the time conflicts ended on days like today, so it was recognized as a day of reprise, a day to lick our wounds until the next one came around."

The pair continued slowly down the main street, Matthew trying to capture every sight, sound, and smell to catalogue and possibly begin back home. Matthias abruptly stopped, causing the ace to nearly crash into him.

"Sorry, I-" The Bishop held out something on a stick, grinning wildly. Apparently he didn't notice or care about Matthew's apology. The blonde frowned, trying to figure out what was being offered. It looked like meat of some sort, covered in a glaze or sauce or something and skewered on a thin wooden stick. "…What is it?"

Matthias' eyebrows nearly disappeared into that crazy hair of his. "You've never had a kebab before? What planet do you live on?!"

"Well, I-" Matthew cut himself off once more when the mystery meat-on-a-stick's aroma finally hit him. "Dear ante…it smells amazing." Not caring what it was, Matthew none-too-graciously ripped the offered treat from the waiting hand and very nearly devoured it in one go. _(1)_

"Ha, ha! I thought you'd like it." Finally realizing how childish it must've looked on the outside, Matthew immediately stuttered an apology. "Nah, it's fine. Most people who haven't had one before have the same reaction."

"What is it made of?" Matthew was seriously tempted to ask for another but the rationality he'd been ignoring talked him out of it. He was not taking advantage of generosity.

Nevertheless, Matthias bought two more anyway and Matthew took the second one down slower, actually taking time to savor the flavor. "Well a kebob is just food on a stick, nothing special. It's _what_ food that's on the stick that matters. This city stepped away from the tropical stuff down south and revolutionized it. Tonight though, I believe it's rabbit in a mustard glaze or something."

Matthew had never had rabbit before, and thinking about it didn't sit too well. He had a pet rabbit as a kid he'd shared with his brother. Even though it was simply delicious, Matthew regretted asking of the ingredients.

Well past sunset, the royals had walked the entirety of the festival about three times and Matthew could say it was the best night he'd experienced in a very long time. He didn't really know what to expect after the time he'd spent in Chess already but the day he'd had was a far cry from anything he could've imagined.

He remembered first becoming a royal and being so afraid of the other suits because of the horror stories passed around his hometown. But then he'd met them. Sure, Ivan was terrifying and Francis seemed a little off but they were really just people shaped by their histories. How could he treat the royals of Chess any differently? Feliks was nice enough, albeit a little strange. They were just people too.

Maybe this was a trick. A show. A trap. Maybe it was all a big set up to gain Matthew's trust and then betray him later. Maybe the fricken food was poisoned and the whole city was in on it. Matthew was a person too, and he was tired. Tired of being paranoid, tired of constantly checking and rechecking every single one of his enemies' words to look for double meanings and underhanded threats.

The solstice was a festival of peace and reprise. Screw paranoia for a day- Matthew was clocking out.

* * *

It was late when Yao finally returned home. After a long day of diplomacy and seafaring he was ready for a long night's rest. Maybe he'd even sleep in for once. Lock the door to keep the servants out, close the curtains to keep the sun away, remove the sword from his belt for once.

He walked right past the kitchen, pausing a few steps later to backtrack. The only occupant of the kitchen hadn't noticed him, too busy divulging in the desert that must've been left over from dinner.

"The plates are in the cupboard to the left you know." Lisa jumped, sending the cake pan into the sink with a loud clang.

"Wha- uh… I was just- um-" Even in the lamplight her blush was obvious.

Yao wordlessly grabbed a rag and started wiping the crumbs off the counter, ignoring the awkward silence that quickly filled the room. It wasn't his job to clean the kitchen, the servants even frowned upon letting any of the royals do their jobs for them. But he wasn't about to wake one up to clean a mess easily accomplished on his own. Yao never did like leaving things untidy, it was just in his personality.

"S-so… how was um… Karnöffel, was it?" Lisa fidgeted, unsure of exactly what to say after being caught red-handed. Yao didn't even look that upset or anything, almost too calm.

"Legally, on paper, there is no one head of each military, everything is in limbo." The Jack filled up the sink and began washing the cake pan. Might as well, while he's there. "In reality… the military is supposed to be the easy part. I cannot imagine what merging society will be like. Breaking things is always easier than putting them back together."

"Unless they're magnets."

Yao stopped scrubbing and looked up at her. "…What?"

Lisa's gaze flitted to the floor in embarrassment. "Nothing, it was stupid. See you in the morning, Yao." The Queen headed for the door, head hung low.

Yao set the pan down and caught up to her. "No wait, what did you say?"

"I said… unless they're magnets." Yao gently tilted her chin up to look up at him and she grudgingly explained. "Magnets stick to each other, it's hard to pull them apart but when you get them close enough together they do the rest for you. It's stupid, I know-"

The brunette just shook his head and stepped back. "And there it is. That is why you were chosen to replace Arthur. It was for a reason, not by mistake, Lisa. You should stop being so humble." Yao walked away smiling, now happy that he'd decided to do the dishes. "Magnets… I never would have thought of that."

Lisa, on the other hand, couldn't think of a response. So she just silently watched him disappear around the corner. Instead of going to bed herself, she headed back into the kitchen to finish washing the cake pan she'd gotten out.

Yao continued the long trek up to the jack's chambers. Being the oldest royal of Cards had its perks, first in the pecking order included. His room had a balcony view of the bay below, which glittered serenely with yellow dots here and there from the boats patrolling. He sighed, taking out the pony tail and running a hand through plain, brown locks.

So much had happened in so little time and yet it felt like nothing happened at all. Like they were still stuck in the same rut they'd been in before. It wasn't the first time he'd thought about how it all could have gone differently, or how it could go differently now. Yes, they needed new ideals, but new people entirely upset the delicate way they had of doing things.

If Arthur had lived… well he honestly didn't know what would've happened. There was a history behind the late queen so deep they could've gone a different route entirely and he still might have died. But if he _had_ lived, what would he think about all this?

Yao sighed, staring up at the ceiling on his bed. _He probably would have done whatever it takes to make this work_. In all his years as Jack of Spades, all his years making the calls that ended lives, all his years as the deciding factor in every major battle, what had he _really_ done for the sake of progress? Arthur did more in the name of progressivism in ten days than Yao had accomplished in his entire lifetime and where had it gotten him?

In a wooden box, six feet under.

The brunette huffed and turned his gaze to the scabbard hanging loosely on the bedpost. In one fluid motion he'd reached up and unsheathed it, letting the light from outside illuminate his reflection. Staring back at himself was a tired, twenty-something, brown-eyed man. He'd been that way for over six hundred and twenty years.

And for what?

He let the blade clatter to the floor and turned over to face the door. Sunrise would mark thirty-eight hours without sleep for the Jack of Spades.

* * *

 **A/N: Leena is now on the Chess map and I fixed the character list since I've made Yao such a prominent character compared to the others. It's so** ** _easy_** **to pick on poor Spades. I know it's moving kinda slow but real action as opposed to character development is gonna take a while this time.**

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. I retrofitted dialogue from an episode in season 4, have fun figuring out which one.**

 **2\. Ante: Or "upping the ante" is a poker term meaning to raise the amount in the center everyone's playing for.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Respite**

 **A/N: Happy Canada Day! In honor of my lovely Canadian followers, I updated a day early (No, chapter 7 is not coming on Saturday). To the guest reviewer: Yes, the Nations will be back.** **I guarantee it** **on schedule for** **Chapter Eventually.** **But unless I speed the plot up, it's going to take a while because I'm waiting for the window to put them back in instead of them just appearing without reason.**

* * *

The King of Clubs was finally happy. Not only did he finally have a friend in the world he didn't have to cut ties with, but he felt monumentally more qualified to run a kingdom. The only thing that could ruin the day was facing the other six royals.

He stood on the docks in Hearts staring at the little ferry that would take him home with a knapsack full of notes (read: cheat sheets) resembling a volume of _How to be a Royal: For Dummies._ Lovino had practically shoved him out of the carriage and sped off back to the castle when the boat arrived, silently wishing him good luck.

In his mind, Časlov was at a crossroads. He could go home to people that didn't want him there to do a job he just learned how to do _or_ he could spend just a little more time exploring the other kingdoms and figuring out how to make one kingdom from four.

Thankfully, Lovino had taught him the proper etiquette of how to arrive unannounced on foreign soil. The answer was to become announced, but that wasn't happening. So, once again, he sailed to a volatile kingdom without any regards to safety because that's how Časlov did things: As they came.

So when five blue-clad guards surrounded him, he didn't freak out like last time. Apparently Spades was missing more than an ace because the guards had no chain of command. It took ten minutes before one finally rose above the others and walked with him to the castle.

The way the man kept his distance didn't go unnoticed, in fact it made him thoroughly pissed-off. He hated the prejudices people held just because he'd showed up in green. It wasn't his fault that his predecessors hated them. But he held his tongue anyway, the guard would probably only hate him more if he said anything against his way of life.

He almost said something again when the servant that opened the door turned ghost-white and practically sprinted to get one of the royals. Seriously, it wasn't like he carried the plague or anything. Maybe he should have just worn black; at least that was the one neutral color between Clubs and Spades.

"Slow down please! I cannot understand you when you speak so fast. Now who- oh." Alfred crossed his arms and sighed. "Well, let him in. It will rain soon."

Once the servant and guard had left it was just the two of them. "I can't thank you enough for such a warm welcome, really helps international relationships." In retrospect, Časlov probably shouldn't have said that. He was in frienemy territory standing almost eight inches shorter than his rival and the first thing out of his mouth was an insult. Maybe he should have thought it through.

Alfred actually laughed. "I could say the same to you, there is a reason you never see me off in the West. Časlov, correct?"

" _King_ Časlov, actually."

"You are not a king." Alfred waved him over to a different room where a long table took up most of the space. "At least, not yet. But you are getting there."

"What is that supposed to mean? I'm here aren't I?"

"Yes. But that means nothing. Tell me, what exactly have you done with your new status to garner that title?" Alfred smirked and leaned back in his chair, clearly enjoying the superior status he possessed.

"I thought I heard you were supposed to be nice. Or at least understanding. You're not that much older than me."

"I am understanding. In fact I am even helping you here. If you want to live up to that title you have to earn it. It took my brother and I fifteen years to gain the respect we have now."

Časlov sighed, this was like pulling teeth. "Look, I know that there's a hierarchy here. I also know you're only acting like this because I'm Clubs. I didn't spend an entire day researching all of you and learn nothing for my trouble. With all due respect, thank you for the tip but we don't have fifteen years to wait."

For his part, Alfred looked mildly sheepish, on a slightly shorter horse than before. "Then why are you here? Old habits die hard, as you probably figured out by now. It will take a lot more effort to convince me to help you than it did with Lovino."

"How did-"

"Natalya would not have helped you, Elisaveta and Roderich even less. If you were at Diamonds you would not have made it here alive. That and your knapsack is bright red. Good on you though for trying to protect him."

"…Whatever. The point is I'm here because I want to help you. I've got the power to erase the bad blood my kingdom has with yours, why can't you do the same?"

"Because it is not that simple." Alfred sighed and dropped his head in his hands. "Yao came back late a few nights ago and told me about the meeting. We cannot just erase centuries of hate between our people with one treaty."

"What if it was more than a treaty? What if it was an act of working together to accomplish the same goal? Wouldn't the people see that, see how some of the oldest royals put aside their petty prejudices and made up?" Časlov dumped out the knapsack on the table and spread out the pages and pages of notes.

"I assume you have something in mind then?"

"Kinda… I know we can't do anything to get your brother back but what about bringing something from our past back?" Časlov rifled through the papers until finally locating what he and Lovino had discussed. He handed it to Alfred who curiously started reading.

"… _The_ _Deuces_? What is it?"

"Basically a tournament. Back when the four suits were one kingdom it was a big competition for the people to fight for the title."

"Your idea to bring the kingdoms together is a tournament where each team will be decided based on their home suit? If anything that divides us even more." Alfred shook his head and slid the paper back over to him.

"Just hear me out. It's not divided by suits. Back then there weren't the divisions there are today. They were organized into champion teams for the royals and class denominations of the dominion as a whole. There was only one of each royal."

Alfred was silent for a while, rereading the paper and weighing the consequences of trying to pull it off. After Časlov was almost positive Alfred would shoot him down, the blonde looked up at him. "Do you really believe you pull this together?"

"Nope. It's not something I alone can do. Lovino's agreed to pitch it to Queen Kiku and King Ludwig, and I was going to head to Diamonds after this to talk to Queen Lili and King Francis."

"Even if I agree it is Lisa you have to convince and she is as new to this as you are. Not to mention your own kingdom."

"Somehow I think she'll be the fastest of the eight of us to agree. And if I'm not mistaken, King Alfred, you didn't say no."

"I never said yes either. This is a massive undertaking here but… I see the merit." Alfred stood and held out a hand. "Very well, _King Časlov_ , you have my consent. I'll send her in a moment."

Časlov allowed himself a smile once Alfred left. Who cared about living up to expectations? No one ever said he _had_ to follow in Ivan's footsteps and he would die before ever going down that path. Časlov would set his own expectations, make his own footsteps to follow, and hopefully it would end up a success.

* * *

Lisa was significantly more open-minded than Alfred, primarily due to her age, so it was relatively easy for Časlov to explain the grand plan to her and get her on board.

With Lovino working on Hearts, he just had Diamonds and Clubs to convince. They were headed toward the former currently, confidence quickly shifting to worry and second guessing. The brunette had reasoned that the best way to convince the others of the benefits of the tournament was by having both of them there representing their kingdoms. If Spades _and_ Clubs agreed to the same idea on the same side it _had_ to be good. A little white lie here and there wouldn't be too frowned upon either.

At least in theory it had sounded like a good idea. When Lisa realized that she'd have to face her cousin's killer she started pacing the deck rambling about all the possible (and impossible) ways the meeting could go. The most prominent being: _What if Francis has some secret vendetta against our entire family and kills me too?_

Časlov didn't know what to say. He'd tried the "That's nonsense he can't be that bad of a guy" approach which she promptly ignored. He wasn't exactly one hundred percent either but his own kingdom would probably prove more daunting in comparison. Still, despite the circumstances it was rather amusing to watch the frantic redhead conjure up insane ideas with no factual basis.

She was so wrapped up in her worries that she didn't notice the boat docked, or that Časlov had been standing on solid ground for a good three minutes just waiting for her to catch on.

"Queen Lisa, you are wearing a trench in the deck." He called, finally grabbing her attention.

She flushed and mumbled an apology before disembarking the small ferry. The two walked silently and unaccompanied the short distance to the creamsicle castle where once again the guards were dumbfounded as to the sight before them.

Antonio, that blinding smile perpetually donning his face, happily led them inside to a surprised king and queen.

"Hi." As always, the fledgling king was off to a fantastic start.

"Hello to you, what brings you here?" Lili asked, a warm, comforting smile gracing her features.

The two foreigners exchanged a glance before launching into the lengthy explanation. Francis interrupted them multiple times looking for any way he could discredit their argument. In his mind, this whole idea of unity was complete and utter futility. There would always be an object, an idea, a person that would set one kingdom above the other in the end. Why were they kidding themselves with this notion of tournaments when they all knew it wouldn't last?

History wasn't so easily forgotten, nor were the people that witnessed it. Francis wasn't going to flip his personality, his ideals, for a fragile peace agreement and he knew none of the others would either. _(1)_

Distant cousins or no, the resemblance between the late and current queen were there. It was the eyes really, so full of innocence and optimism. Like his used to be. All in all, he just pitied them and their optimism, it would only lead to disappointment and heartbreak in the end.

Nevertheless, he listened to their whimsical idea and even fancied the notion of endorsing it like he knew Lili would.

"I just think that if they saw us working together like this they would see that the four kingdoms really aren't that different from each other." Časlov said, eyes on Lili the entire time as her decision would make or break it.

Časlov… now he was definitely different in Francis' mind. Those bright blue eyes brimming with not just a glass-half-full personality but something else… the blonde just couldn't figure out what it was.

Why not let them escape into a false reality? It didn't mean he had to follow. His eyes never left the odd pair as they practically skipped out of the castle, two more approvals added to their cause.

* * *

Three days. Matthew had been in white paradise for three days. There were no orders to fill, errands to run, or appearances to maintain. Here, no one (well, almost no one) knew who he was or where he came from. Here he was just a peasant boy enjoying a big city vacation.

Almost enjoying it. That nagging voice had never gone away but it did change tactics. Instead of constantly fueling the paranoia that Matthias was out to get him and that this was an elaborate trap yada, yada, yada… it was chastising him for being a terrible guest. The reminder that Matthias was the one that hired the men that kidnapped him hadn't crossed his mind since the festival.

If nothing else could describe Matthew, it were his manners and politeness even in the face of the enemy. He just didn't like making people dislike him, even if it meant refraining from the spotlight to do so. Every single word out of his mouth pertaining to his life was a complete and utter lie and the guilt was terrible.

Matthias showed him his city, bought him numerous meals and an entire new wardrobe he could "take back home south" and allowed him to stay in one of the guest rooms in the bishop's castle. All the servants and guards were at his beck and call, the stables open at all times, he could even leave if he wanted to- the gate was wide open.

The first night he'd seen the gate, seen no sign of the guards, seen an escape so close it was almost painful. All he had to do was walk those fifteen yards to the edge of the property then he could disappear. It would have been so _easy_ too.

And yet… the only step he took was back in the direction of the castle where Matthias was waiting eagerly to finish his tour. By the third day he didn't even look outside at that open gate.

By the third day, even if Matthias would be upset that he lied, he wanted to finally tell the truth for once. His new friend deserved it.

Said bishop was enjoying the sun in the expansive gardens out back when Matthew hesitantly came up to him, wringing his hands in worry.

"Um, Matthias?" The blonde turned and grinned at him, "I- there's something I've been keeping from you and you've just been so nice to me… I-"

"Hey listen, I know exactly where you're coming from. Kinda. We've all got our skeletons locked up somewhere. You don't have to say anything if you really don't want to." Matthias led him over to a stone bench and patted the seat beside him.

Matthew sighed and sat down. "Okay, well… I'm not from a small village in the south. My home is the Kingdom of Spades a continent away from here and I'm a royal in our government, just like you."

* * *

Oh what a joyous day it was. Finally! After four days of sweet-talking the man he finally trusted him enough to spill the beans! Matthew practically told him everything he already knew, which wasn't that much but enough. Just a little more coaxing and he would finally get the information he'd been waiting for since his pawns first notified him that there was indeed a whole new kingdom out there ripe for the picking.

Maybe one more meal, one more sob story about how the people of Chess were trying to stitch themselves back together would make him crack into a million tiny, knowledgeable pieces. He'd done his research on Cards, knew the roles of the government. The problem was said research was centuries old, so old that he didn't know the kingdom had divided itself once again.

But having a royal in Chess, an ace nonetheless of all positons that _trusted_ him… Well how could he possibly pass that up? Matthias was not the best at reading people but he was definitely a close second. He'd paid careful attention to every facial expression, every twitch of the hand, every sigh of guilt to push the ace just enough to feel sorry for him. Guilty beyond repair of lying through his teeth to his great benevolent host.

And the pawns told him it was a stupid idea. That never in a million years could _Matthias_ of all people get a poor, knowledgeable shmuck to open up to him. Well where were they now? As soon as he had all the necessary information he wouldn't need to keep up the act anymore. Or maybe he could continue sweet-talking the ace while sending an armada to cleanly and efficiently end the tetra-polar dominion.

He couldn't wait for Matthew to figure out he'd been selling out his family and would be the cause of their demise.

The only bump in the road was that damn knight, Feliks. He couldn't get rid of him himself, but hopefully the anonymous tip to their bishop actually paid off.

As Matthias listened to the soft footfalls that could only belong to Matthew approach him he knew it was only a matter of time.

* * *

 **A/N: Finally I'm actually moving the plot ahead. Three cheers for dramatic irony!**

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. Post-WWI peace conferences otherwise known as "Britain and France get pissy with Germany and blame them for everything" everyone knew it wouldn't last but they were still fooling themselves with the idea of reparations anyway, as I've already explained.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Messenger's Backup Plans**

 **A/N: Happy belated birthday America! And congrats for beating Japan on Sunday! World champions again, it feels nice. Be honest with me here- does anyone believe I could fail the AP US History exam? CollegeBoard says I did. F them. Anyway enjoy the [historically accurate, damn it] chapter.**

* * *

Not many people enjoyed being woken up before the sun, there was almost never a good reason to do so. This is what when through Feliks' mind as a guard alerted him of three non-Black ships approaching the harbor. Escorts were already on the scene but for some reason they felt the royal himself had to give out orders.

There was a chain of command for a reason, if the boss was unavailable take it to the next best thing. It was smart, it was efficient, and it didn't make for a very pissy blonde royal with a twitchy trigger finger.

"As soon as you know who they are open fire, any ally would fly friendly colors." Feliks had been somewhat expecting something like this, the location of his territory was really a terrible spot. But at the same time he really, really hoped that they would kinda just forget about him for a while.

Even in his sleep-deprived state and the low visibility the pre-dawn sky created, he'd recognize that ship anywhere. It had a distinctive shape built for the storm-weary waters of its home, shorter and more agile than the ships of Chess. It was a ship about to be at the bottom of the ocean if he didn't say anything.

"Hold your fire!" He yelled, to the surprise of the sailors within earshot. The blonde wasted no time in running down the docks to greet the foreigners himself. When they finally docked the only thing between them and dry land was a rather irate royal.

"You couldn't like, wait until noon or something to get here? I almost sunk your ships, you know." Feliks was suddenly reminded of an earlier situation with Raivis when he had to look up annoyingly at the newcomer.

"We're still alive, aren't we? Good to see you again, Feliks."

Feliks just rolled his eyes and made a note to find out where the hell Czesław was later. "Yes, yes good to see you too, Allistor, but I, like, have a lot on my plate right now and you couldn't have picked a worse time to show up."

"We don't want us to be here anymore than you, but clearly some people over here can't handle locating one very important person within a lengthy amount of time."

Feliks sighed dramatically, "I'm not getting any more sleep tonight am I?"

"No, probably not."

It didn't take long for both sides to catch up on information, neither too pleased with the turnouts on either continent.

"I'm in the dark right now with everything outside of my territory. You've waited this long, what's one more day? Lukas hasn't written back to me yet but when he does you'll be the first to know, alright? I don't care what your men do in my city, just don't break anything."

Feliks was back in dreamland the second his head hit the pillow. Lukas, Allistor, Matthew, none of them mattered when it came to sleep. The only thing that mattered was how much longer they would drag this out. If he had his way they would have never left in the first place and thus Matthias never would have gotten involved.

But he didn't have his way, and as such would have to continue playing with the odds against him.

* * *

Lukas had made up his mind and come up with a plan. If he understood Feliks' letter correctly, this whole fiasco hadn't gone entirely unnoticed by third parties and it was only a matter of time before they either fought each other over Matthew or ban together to take on the Western kingdoms.

Which, even if they were still tearing each other to shreds over there, was not something Lukas wanted to take part in. Fighting on foreign soil, almost no access to reinforcements, a cause he really didn't care about fighting for… they were destined to lose if they tried. _(1)_

So he packed the necessities and allowed a trusted pawn to temporarily take his place for the two days he'd be gone. He could just barely see the stable boys saddling up Pansi when-

"Just where do you think you're going?"

 _Check damn it… really? Now?! The Sages must have it out for me_. Expression shifting easily into its characteristic scowl, Lukas turned just enough to glare at the intruder.

"Emil… why is it that no one bothers to announce their arrivals beforehand anymore?"

The rook sighed and leaned casually against the wall, silver hair glinting in the sunlight. "You didn't answer my question. And I shouldn't have to tell you I'm coming, you never do anything anyway."

Lukas waved the stable boys away with a sigh, "What are you really here for? Come to just pay big brother a visit?"

Emil glared, "Hmp, _no_ I haven't. We're decades apart and you know it."

 _Got you..._ He faced the other fully now, "Such a shame too. We look so much alike after all."

"We do not." Tell that to the pale complexion, pale hair, lithe form, and near-violet eyes they both shared, not to mention the affinity with magic. "I've just been hearing some things and as always, being stuck on an island isolated from the mainland apparently deems all information not important enough to cross a small strip of water."

Maybe letting Emil in on it wasn't such a bad idea. If it came to blows he could rely on the rook taking his side against Matthias, not that it would come to that. They were related, but just barely, on opposite ends of the family tree. Regardless, even if Emil would never admit it they worked incredibly well together, hence why they were isolated from the rest of White on the continent.

Yet at the same time… Emil constantly let his emotions get the better of him and was incredibly easy to manipulate if given the chance. Even if they weren't direct siblings Emil was really the only person in the world Lukas thought worth protecting, he wouldn't jeopardize that for anything.

He glanced back at Pansi who stood there practically waving him over so they could get going already before making up his mind and leading Emil inside.

"Well, _little brother_ you missed quite a lot…" He summarized as best he could, not leaving anything out but making it very clear that where he was going, he was going alone.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to punch that bishop in the face? I'm not staying back once again while you handle everything, _again_. Not after last time." Emil didn't express it often, and never in front of others, but he cared for his rel- oh screw it _brother_.

"This isn't like last-"

"You should have died, why Feliks spared you is beyond me but you were supposed to die. I'm not letting that happen again."

Lukas frowned at the unwanted memory, even he didn't know why the blonde just walked off the battlefield that day. It would be just like him to do it only to have something over the knight. Just because he didn't kill him didn't mean a clean battle. Emil had spent weeks with him just healing wounds and helping him around. _(2)_

"This isn't like last time." He repeated. "A day there, a day back, then I send him home and this whole thing can be forgotten." Lukas' imagination had run wild with all the possible conditions Matthew could be in. Matthias wasn't the torture type but this hadn't really happened before.

Emil let him go after that, but not before voicing a multitude of threats should anything happen. Not that anything would, but he really had no idea where Matthew was being held. The hardest part about the whole mission was getting in and out without Matthias knowing or trying to stop him.

In all hindsight, he could see where the man was coming from and the advantages his actions _could_ bring. But he also had the foresight for all the disadvantages that they _would_ bring and that was enough to convince him. If only Matthias could see the same.

* * *

Espionage was a wonderful thing. It gave an unlimited advantage to the side willing to fork over payment. Espionage allowed Matthias' pawns to alert him of a certain blonde's inevitable arrival to dismantle his entire project.

There were two things that set the current bishop away from the late bishop, two very important things. The first, of course, was charming good looks. Just because fate said he was destined for the throne didn't mean the people always agreed with it. The second was strategy. Matthias always, always, had a plan B. Sometimes even C and D. People called him over-prepared or paranoid of possibilities that would never, could never happen.

In times like these, backup plans were what kept him ahead of the game.

"Matthew, I need to talk to you." And let the theatrics begin.

Said ace was in the library reading when Matthias stumbled in, worry plastered all over his face. "Is something wrong?"

"Someone is coming here to take you from me. Someone very powerful and very good at getting what he wants."

At first Matthew dared to hope it was someone to take him home. But of course, no can do. "Who is it?" Maybe he could help figure out a plan to stop this person.

Matthias turned away, looking stricken. "This may come as a shock to you, but… it's Lukas, the White Knight."

"Wait, but- back when we- and Feliks said-" The others trusted him just fine! For the short time they were together, at least. Why would he be out to get him?

"I know, it was surprising even for me. My guess is he knew you were coming and made your kidnapping frame someone else to get the others on his side." Ah, if only he knew.

"Wait… _you_ were the one that hired those guys. You're their employer."

Matthias shook his head, looking rather hurt at the accusation. "I thought you would have figured it out by now. Didn't you notice the change of custody? When I heard about it I knew I had to stop it so I sent my people to intervene and bring you here instead."

Well… yes. It did feel like there were different people guarding him, but being blindfolded ninety percent of the time didn't allow him to remember much of anything.

"What do we do about it then?" If this Lukas person was as bad as Matthias was making him out to be, they needed to be prepared. It wasn't the first time someone had slipped through cracks in a defense.

"Easy, we do nothing. If Lukas assumes we don't know he's coming, it'll be easier to stop him."

Matthew hesitated before nodding, he could do this. Matthias smiled at him before leaving him to his reading.

Did he feel bad about turning it all on his friend? Maybe. But he would understand when the time came. And if he didn't, well there was always a plan B.

* * *

Časlov had thought Alfred was harsh with his treatment. Hindsight would think him insane. Elizabeta wasn't _mean_ necessarily but she did give the cold shoulder to both him and Lisa, nearly leveling them with traitors.

Strangely enough, it was Natalya that finally broke free of the "Spades is evil, Clubs is the motherland" spell and fully supported the ambitiousness of the tournament. She never explained why, just got a far-off look in her eye quickly replaced by an almost robotic calmness.

Roderich had almost agreed, not that it particularly mattered, but with one look from the queen that idea evaporated into smoke. Lisa, seeing she was clearly unwelcome and not helping at all, had returned home after wishing Časlov good luck.

After three nights of fruitless attempts, he finally got Roderich alone. Ever since day one something seemed off about the whole operation and the jack was the neon sign pointing to the source of it all.

It was rather easy to get him alone, he just waited behind a pillar for the brunette to make an appearance then dragged him off to the only secure place he knew in the castle- his room. If the jack was always this weak it was no wonder he never left the castle.

As soon as the door was shut, locked, and barricaded with a chair, Roderich squirmed free and brushed the imaginary dirt off his clothes and finger-combed his hair. "Just what," he huffed, "do you think you are doing, Časlov?"

The king was finishing blocking the window with the heavy curtains when he answered. "Getting to the bottom of this." He sat down on the chair guarding the only exit and waited for Roderich to stop threatening him before continuing. "Look, Roddy- can I call you Roddy?- everyone else is asleep and my quarters are on the opposite end of the castle. My door is three inches thick and the walls even thicker. Whatever is said in here, _stays_ in here."

"What is it you hope to achieve, locking me up in here like this? You cannot possibly expect me to just allow this-"

"I think I can." Časlov smirked and leaned back against the door. "See, I learned a lot while you guys ostracized me from the group. Like how you have too much pride to admit the _fledgling king_ singlehandedly kidnapped you and held you against your will."

Roderich said nothing, sitting on the bed and glaring at the wall with his arms folded.

"Great! And here I thought they did you guys a favor, getting rid of Ivan like that-"

" _Ivan_ was never the problem, Časlov, stop talking about him like his killer was some great hero." Roderich's eyes widened and he clamped his mouth shut almost instantly.

"Wha-"

"Forget I said anything! It was a mistake, I am just tired." Roderich's eyes flitted around the room acting as if someone had somehow heard him.

Časlov got up from his chair and Roderich backed away. So he stopped and held up his hands in attempted peace. "Roddy, whatever you say will never leave this room understand? I just want to learn how to run this kingdom and I can't do that with the three of you constantly working against me. We're supposed to be a team here, teammates trust each other."

Roderich looked down at the hand Časlov offered and sighed, accepting it with a quick shake. "It all started with Natalya."

Časlov smiled, "Thank you, for finally cooperating with me."

The jack just nodded, "Ivan was never the enemy the rest of Cards made him out to be. He was just the front everyone could hate. I will be the first to admit there was something… not right with him but just because he was the king did not mean he made every decision. Elizabeta heads this kingdom, and has nearly since she came to be queen.

"In order to get to Ivan she had to go through Natalya, so she did. From what I observed it was easy to keep her quiet. As long as she did what she was told, Eli left them both alone. Ivan was the messenger, he carried out the plans she concocted." Roderich hesitated before continuing, "I was the newest royal at the time, like you I did not know what to do or who to trust, Elizabeta had us all since the very beginning. When Ivan died and you showed up… she had to rework her strategy completely, one that didn't include you."

"What, was she planning on killing me or something?"

"Or something."

That was… not what he expected to hear when planning the whole thing. Elizabeta was out to get him? Ivan wasn't the real bad guy in this?

"What do I do about it, then?"

Roderich looked up at him, astonished. "What do you _do_? You do nothing!"

"Excuse me? I'm the one who's life is on the line here, Roddy, not yours."

"You think you stand a chance against her? You die either way."

Časlov removed the chair from blocking the door and unlocked it, clearly wanting Roderich to leave. The jack wordlessly obliged, head held high as he left the room.

"I'd rather die trying to change than just sit here and wait for the clock to count down." He muttered, deciding to lock the door again just in case.

So his queen had a death wish for him… Časlov was no hero, no martyr for a cause, but he saw the fear in the others' eyes. If not for himself, he could help them. Besides, he had some protection from Eli that Ivan never had and it was friends. Lovino, Lisa, everyone they'd talked to had at least seen how different he was. She couldn't pin it on one of them so if he died, all fingers would point to her.

It was safe to assume the other royals would meet the problem with one answer- relieve her of her position. Maybe he was a fool for thinking it but even now he wished for negotiations with her, if they failed then they could say they exhausted all options. It just didn't feel right ending someone's life like that, but maybe he really was a fool.

* * *

 **A/N: And you get a POV, you get a POV, everyone gets a POV this chapter!**

 **1\. American Revolution! England was supposed to win big time but for the reasons listed above, and some others, they failed and we won yay us. We're painted like rising underdogs who defeated the big bad Brits in our text books (propaganda and such) so if any non-US citizen would like to, tell me how you guys learned about this war. (See? F you CollegeBoard. I know what the hell I'm talking about)**

 **2\. From what I understand about Norwegian history, they got beat around a lot and were kinda the punching bag of Denmark, Sweden and eventually the rest of northern Europe (post-Viking era) with unions (Kalmar) all over the place that didn't benefit them at all. Not including the whole mess with Christianity that ended in several wars and divisions within the country itself.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Would not, Could not**

 **A/N: I flew across this continent plus a two hour layover on Tuesday and am currently 3,000 miles away from home without a working cell phone. In short, technical difficulties.**

 **Warning: I tried, I really did, but the last scene is just plain depression.**

* * *

It was sheer luck alone that saved Lukas a night's worth of scouring Anrufen for Matthew. He had just arrived in the city center, leading a very-winded Pansi loosely by the reins past various buildings. His original plan was to wait for nightfall, which was only an hour away, and head straight to the prison first. If he wasn't there, Matthias had a few other choice locations he'd held specific prisoners in the past that would take the rest of the night to search. So maybe he'd lied a bit to Emil about how long it would take but it was always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

The sun was just setting when two very familiar blonde heads filtered through the crowded streets. He'd never seen Matthew before but if the whole "doppelgänger" thing really was true he didn't have to.

The only thing on Lukas' mind at the moment was why in Check they were even outside. Matthew was a prisoner wasn't he? In the grand scheme of things, at least to the knight, Matthias' reasonings didn't matter so much as it allowed him to figure out exactly where they were going.

Lukas wasted no time in following them once they turned a corner, keeping close but not too close to their almost casual walk through the streets. It didn't take him long to realize they weren't going back to a prison of any kind but to the palace of all places.

 _What's your angle here, Matthias_? Theory after theory came and went as he observed from the sidelines. Too far away to hear or see them properly, whatever they could have been talking about was a complete mystery.

The sun's final rays disappeared and once they were gone Lukas began systematically avoid the guards while breaking into his ally's castle. There weren't many guards, a few at the corners, the front gate, and spread throughout the yard. The thing about living with the same type of people for several decades was that eventually everyone's habits and strategies all blended together, regardless of which side they were on.

No plan was perfect. The false conviction that one was, that was the biggest weakness. It was never curiosity but confidence that killed the cat. Confidence in the idea that a versatile mage with nothing to lose would never attack the castle.

With a simple spell that made anyone virtually asleep on their feet, it was almost too easy. The only problem was that he had to get close, really close.

Creeping up behind two stationed in the south tower, they didn't know what hit them.

" _Hypna_." Two more down for the count. Now hopefully it was smooth sailing to whichever room Matthew was in. As easy and safe as it would have been just to kill them, he still wasn't in enemy territory and it would not look good in the others' eyes.

What was behind door number one? Locked, of course. That could always be remedied but if he had to check each and every locked door in the entire building it would take all night. It was safe to assume that any bedrooms wouldn't be on the first floor anyway.

The only real hindrance was Lukas' lack of knowledge of the floor plan. Whenever he made the trip north (which was rare regardless) he never wanted nor needed to go past the conference hall. Eventually the shifts would change and in a perfect world they'd be halfway to the ocean before anyone raised the alarm.

But it wasn't a perfect world and he had thirty minutes max before all hell broke loose.

Finally making it up the fourth flight of stairs, an orange glow at the end of the hall offered at least some clue that this wasn't a wild goose chase. The glow, as it turned out, was a candle burning softly on the nightstand.

The only occupant of the room was curled up in a nest of blankets, dead to the world. There was no lock on the door, no guard posted outside, and even a balcony that wouldn't be impossible to escape from.

 _What in Check…?_ Lukas had come expecting the man to be half dead and in need of therapy. But this? He was living like a freaking prince! Something definitely wasn't right here.

Well… here goes nothing.

Lukas crouched down and gently shook him awake. "Matthew, come on. Wake up."

Bleary violet eyes failed to focus on whatever interrupted their sleep for half a second before bugging out and causing their owner to fall backwards off the bed. "W-who are you?"

 _Your knight in shining armor_. "Here to rescue you."

Matthew stayed exactly where he was, not moving an inch. "That didn't answer my question."

"Do you want to go home or not, Matthew?"

He must've said something wrong because the ace went from scared to absolutely terrified. "Matthias!"

 _Shit_. Guards would be there any second now, including his supposed ally.

"You're Lukas right?" Matthew was half paying attention and half scouring the room for a weapon. He was _not_ getting kidnapped again.

Said presumed kidnapper was incredibly confused. What exactly had Matthias done to him? "I am." Already he could hear the pounding of many pairs of feet in the hallway. "Look, I don't have time to explain everything. I can send you home by tomorrow morning, guaranteed. Are you coming or not?"

"What? But-"

"Yes or no?" They really, really didn't have time for this. Why the hell wasn't he jumping for joy right now?

 _Oh fuck it,_ " _Hypna_." And down the ace went.

Lukas wasn't a strong person, he didn't have to be because he excelled with magic. Which was exactly why he wanted to avoid knocking him out if he could. But there was no time to lament, the guards were here and they had to go.

Slamming the door shut and sparing the second to lock it, Lukas dragged Matthew over to the balcony. Well, it wasn't the most pleasant drop but it was the only escape they had without encountering guards. The balcony overlooked a hill anyway, so instead of a five story drop it was two stories, and there were massive pine trees everywhere. A rather convenient escape route, out of every room in the castle if it was an absolute necessity, which it wasn't.

Instead of trying to scale a tree while lugging 120 pounds of deadweight in near-total darkness, there wasn't much of an option but to defend against the guards. Lukas instantly regretted leaving Pansi so far away, even if they got off the balcony it would take at least a half hour to get back without being seen. If he had to knockout the whole city he could, but that was worst-case scenario- he'd be dead on his feet with exhaustion.

Nope, definitely didn't plan according to circumstance. To be fair he hadn't expected the supposed prisoner to be practically brainwashed into believing Matthias was actually helping him. And that was the only explanation for what had happened not five minutes prior, as ludicrous as it sounded.

It took about as long as it did to lock the door as it did to break down the door. But the guards probably hadn't expected dreamland the second they crossed the threshold. Lukas was not a fan of close combat, he preferred range and being able to move around when needed. That didn't mean he sucked at it though.

The guards ended up defeating themselves in the end, rushing in too fast to avoid getting hit by the sleep spell and dog-piling in the doorway. Others were bound to hear the commotion but surprisingly no one showed up, including the bishop himself.

With a sigh of annoyance mixed with exhaustion, the knight carried/dragged Matthew back down the stairs and out the way he came in, completely ignoring the obvious convenience of it all. Thankfully, the initial victims were still out but the walk to the inner city would not be a fun one.

But at least Matthew was finally on his way home.

* * *

Emil was not the happiest rook on the planet. Once again he had to stay back because it was too dangerous for him, he would get in the way, blah, blah, blah. How was that even fair? He was smart, he could fight, and he knew his way around Anrufen as well as the next guy.

Plus, he was good backup should anything happen. And something was always bound to happen when plans had to go perfectly.

Should he have been asleep? Probably. But he wanted to be the first one to chastise Lukas for leaving him home alone. So he was sitting (pouting) on the throne, glaring at the wall, and listening for the sound of hooves on the gravel road.

By the time the sun rose the rook had contorted himself to somehow fit his entire body on the seat of the chair and manage to sleep. At least until someone shook him awake.

A servant silently pointed to the windows out back where a very familiar horse stood in the grass. Emil nearly crashed into the wall in an effort to get outside as fast as possible.

Upon reaching outside he had to check if he was still dreaming. A zombie-esque Lukas was straight dragging some blonde guy through the grass toward the back door, not caring about the man's well being in the slightest.

One exhausted glare told him everything he needed to know. _Not now, I'm sleeping for a week. Wake me up and you won't live to regret it._ He didn't even bother to finish dragging the blonde inside, just left him at Emil's feet as if to say 'You take care of it.'

The knight shuffled off to his room and Emil just stared down at the man who must be the infamous Matthew.

"Well what am I supposed to do with him?"

* * *

 _Feliks,_

 _Going to Anrufen today, will be back tomorrow evening with Matthew. This will all be over by the end of the week._

 _Lukas_

"You couldn't be bothered to write the date, Luke? Like, seriously? This tells me nothing." The morning after Allistor and the others had arrived this glorious status upstate arrived. He didn't know when it sent, when it was written, or how long it took to get from Lukas to himself. For all he knew Matthew could've been home by now.

But that wasn't what the westerners wanted to hear.

So Feliks kept quiet about it and instead immediately wrote back about their unannounced visitors coming to do the job for him.

Sitting outside a bakery in downtown Carthage, the sailor uniforms made it easy to pick the westerners out from the rest of the population. At the same time though, they blended in so well minus the gawking-like-tourists part. They were people mingling with other people, the only difference was their place of birth.

This isolation from each other, barely acknowledging that the other exists, it was pointless. They couldn't blame their lack of quick ways to cross the ocean anymore; couldn't ignore each other anymore. Even before but especially since the past month. Just because one had renounced the other didn't mean they weren't still connected.

But whatever, it wouldn't matter much once everyone was back on their respective continent. Or at least that's what the other royals would say. People weren't big fans of change. They'd say they would not, could not live with it.

As much as he didn't want to get up, he had to get Allistor on the road to Lukas or else he would have come all the way to Chess for nothing.

It turned out he'd be playing host to twenty foreigners while the rest took six of his beloved ponies east. Yes, he saw where they were coming from. He would be beyond upset if their positions were reversed. But still, what did they plan on doing with five soldiers over there? They didn't want Matthew in Chess anymore than the next guy, it wasn't like they'd have to fight the knight for him.

Allistor couldn't possibly blame the knights for Matthew's disappearance, could he? They were the only ones on the entire continent that were on their side. Maybe it was just precaution though, better to be over-prepared than under.

…Or maybe they brought three entire crews to Chess for something else entirely.

Feliks glanced between the road they had left on an hour ago and the stables that held his last pony. "Damn it."

* * *

Yao was tired. He'd finally gotten sleep (if one could count a night of waking up each and every hour for the past two nights sleep) and was taking a break from work. Well no, Alfred kicked him out of the castle for the day to "get a massage or something" and every guard was in on it.

So he was glum. Very glum. Alfred had even taken his sword away and locked it in his room. With nothing else to do, and having already been turned away from the armory, barracks, docks, and blacksmith, he decided the beach was the lesser of five evils.

It was fall, so it wasn't brutally hot out but the sun still had no mercy. He wasn't exactly dressed for the part either, traipsing dejectedly through the powdery sand in high boots and a jacket with too-long sleeves.

The beach wasn't too crowded, only a few families here and there, but there were still people. After a while the sun disappeared behind afternoon storm clouds and Yao hadn't moved from his position on the sand. People began clearing out, not wanting to get caught in the rain, but he didn't care.

"Mr. Yao?" A little voice said from behind him. He turned to see a little blonde girl with pigtails standing there with a beach towel trailing behind her. No family was in sight.

"Hi there."

The girl took that as an invitation to sit and carefully spread out the towel on the sand next to him and crawled onto it. "Why are you sitting alone on the beach?"

He chuckled lightly at her bluntness and sighed. "I don't really know."

She frowned and looked up at the blackening sky. "You know it's gonna rain right?"

"I do. But I don't care, it's just a little water."

"But you'll get wet!"

He turned and smiled at her. "Weren't you just in the ocean? That's wet too."

She looked down at her baiting suit and laughed. "Yeah but that's _different_! You're _supposed_ to get wet in the ocean."

The jack just shrugged in response. Suddenly the girl wrapped her arms around him and squeezed as hard as she could. "You look sad." She said before he could ask, "Mommy says that when people are sad hugs make them feel better."

Still getting over the shock, he just let her do what she wanted. No harm done anyway. "Your mommy is a smart lady then."

"Why are you sad, Mr. Yao? Is it because of the rain? People shouldn't be sad because it rains."

Yao hesitated before answering, a small voice asking why he was telling her anything. "I'm sad because people I care about are going away."

"People shouldn't be sad about that either." She said firmly. "Mommy says that people you care about never really go away because you always have stuff to remember them by."

It was amazing how intelligent children could be sometimes, how they saw the simplicity of the world and never dwelled on the bad. "I guess she is right." It started to sprinkle, the water peppering the sand with tiny holes as it came. "Bye, bye, Mr. Yao. I have to go home now."

After watching her disappear up the hill, the weight of her words finally sank in. So he stood and brushed the sand off, finally deciding on a destination.

* * *

It wasn't the happiest place to visit, not by a log shot but it was special. It was home. Walking slowly amongst the rows of engraved cement, some names were harder to read than others. Most of the occupants were ones he knew closely but some were just letters on stone he'd collected over the years.

 _You always have stuff to remember them by_. It wasn't a big house, or a nice house, but it was a house. Yao's house. Not much of it was still standing after many long years exposed to the elements but the important parts weren't washed away by the rain.

No one else knew but he still came every now and then. Just to say hello really, wipe off the dust, and replace the flowers. No one was buried there but their placeholders meant all the same. Here they meant something, they weren't just names on a rock surrounded by thousands of other names on rocks.

In a chest, safely hidden from time, was that stuff to remember them by. There was a plush rabbit that belonged to his younger brother with the strangest hair curl, a mirror shared by his two sisters, and other little trinkets here and there. Two of the newest occupants of the chest, in a box of their own off to the side, were still vibrant with color.

A little brush with roses painted on it shared a name with its owner and a burnt, crumpled scrap of metal that glinted gold in the sunlight if he held it the right way. They always told him he was a workaholic, that he never set aside time for himself, but he didn't _want_ to. Because when he did _this_ was what came out of it.

With a sigh he put the rabbit back in the chest and locked it tight. This was definitely not what Alfred had in mind when he'd forbade Yao from the castle. They would tell him to stop moping around and feeling sorry for himself. They would tell him he'd survived this long for a reason and he didn't have nothing to show for it. They would tell him to get off his ancient arse and go do something about it.

So he did.

* * *

 **A/N: By the way (I wonder how many actually read these) we're over halfway done here. I've planned up to thirteen but it probably won't surpass fifteen chapters. Also there might be temporary hiatus (Temporary!) before the next update because I have no backup chapters left.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Home?**

 **A/N: So this is a big chapter. Like, massively-important turning-point chapter. A lot of crap happens to these poor characters (why is that so fun to say?). Which means it's the longest so far!** **Oh and minor (read: unnamed extras) character death! I'm trying a different type of framed writing for this and I really hope it works. Enjoy the drama and answered questions!**

 **Suggestion: Listen to "Daniel in the Den" by Bastille.**

* * *

"Who are you?"

 _I'm ignoring you._

"Where am I?"

 _None of your business._

"What do you want with me?"

 _Nothing. I want you gone._

Something hard banged against the door he leaned on but he didn't care. "Answer me damn it! I know you're on the other side of this door just standing there. What did I _do_ to you people?"

 _Again, nothing. You just got dealt a really crappy hand._

Something else slid slowly down the door, probably the blonde finally giving up. "I have a brother back home." Said Matthew's rather defeated voice. "And I know you hardly care but I am the only family he has left. If you hate me for whatever ante forsaken reason then _fine_. But do not hate him. He did nothing to you or your people. Whatever you want to know… you can have it. Just… I want to go home." His muffled voice cracked at the end and it was just silence after that.

Emil considered breaking it but he had a feeling that no matter what he said it wouldn't change the ace's view of them. So he just stood there with Mr. Puffin, waiting for Lukas to wake up so this could finally be over.

* * *

Dawn brought grey, muggy skies and an ever-persistent potential to rain. The perfect day for constructing massive stadiums at random locations around Cards. Elisaveta hadn't technically agreed to it but was overruled by the other fourteen royals and within the day there were people working on publicity and actually building the things required for an adequate tournament.

The thing about being laughably behind with technology was that some things just couldn't be built the way one wanted them to be. The thing about being amazingly ahead in magic was that things could be built _exactly_ the way one wanted them to be. It was how they'd constructed and reconstructed castles and cities constantly demolished by nature and humans alike.

Sports were… sports were an enigma among the four kingdoms. They all liked the same things but the thought of enjoying something with a rival society always ruined it. So when the land was cleared for the newest football stadium in Hearts, the people were like penguins on a cliff: All waiting for someone else to take the first dive to test the waters below. All it took was one person to give the all clear and everyone else would follow eagerly behind.

But no penguin ever willingly jumped off a cliff into the unknown without a little incentive, and what better bribe than a shiny gold trophy and epic bragging rights?

So to notify these penguin-people of that shiny gold trophy and epic bragging rights, every shop window and public bulletin had at least one advertisement- courtesy of Feliciano's Girl Scout-esque game plan.

Alfred had resigned himself to letting the others handle the unity tournament, not feeling particularly welcome in the ragtag committee they'd formed. Besides, he had other things to worry about that weren't at all under his control. Like the whole mess a continent away.

There was a lot he still didn't understand about even his own neighbors but Chess? It was like a completely different entity in it's own right. He didn't care about their people, their politics, or how they felt about Cards. What mattered was one person and why the hell he wasn't back home. Did it really take that long to track someone down- one person- and flash him back over where he belonged? Even one of those weird mirror things just for a status update would have been nice.

The only solace was that he knew with all certainty that the one person that mattered was still alive. Revenge? It wasn't worth the resources it would take to sail over there. Yes, he didn't particularly care for the moody blonde guy but bandits were bandits right?

Right? Mattie was just in the wrong place at the wrong time right? It could have happened to any of them. There was nothing convoluted or shady or back-stabby about it, right? It was just taking forever to get him back because... the weather was terrible over there. Yes. That was it. A nice, normal, uncomplicated reason to explain everything.

Alfred continued to convince himself that all was well when he nearly walked right into one of those flyers for the tournament. He scanned over the brightly colored paper, only paying attention to the first few sentences. " _The Deuces! Know someone who plays football? Want a chance to win the cup for your denomination? Then sign up right here..._ "

The blonde sighed and decided he was done with exercise for the day. "Wish you were here, Mattie. Remember when we used to play as children on the weekends in the park? I never told you but I let you win most of the time, mom said it was the nice thing to do." He really hoped no one saw him talking rather pathetically to himself just loitering in the courtyard.

"Remember her face when you came out of your room one morning as white as a sheet." He kicked a lose stone and sent it rolling away into the bushes. "And she asked you what was wrong and you told her you had a dream about being the new ace. Then a day later we said our goodbyes... You never saw her expression after you left."

He turned to the east and imagined that there wasn't an ocean and then some between them. "It was so strange, Mattie. Heartbroken but so happy and prideful at the same time. It was like one eye cried tears of sadness while the other cried tears of joy at the same time."

"You know, I was thinking about something earlier." Out of his pocket he fished half of a necklace charm, a blue rose painted in the center. "When you get back since this union thing will be shrinking the military there will be extra soldiers with nothing to do. Maybe we can set aside a few to search for her again."

"I mean, it was just a thought and all. I know you'd never say it but you blame me for a lot of things, I would too in your position. And this whole war as well. If I hadn't said the things I said, or done the things I did, you and the others might still be here." Sensing he wasn't alone anymore he slipped the broken charm back into his pocket and finished his one-sided conversation in his head. _I may not be able to fix things from the past but I still can with the present so get your ass back here so I can keep that promise._

* * *

"You're awake, I see."

"Obviously." Lukas still had dark bags under his eyes and the weight of the world on his shoulders but was awake. That's what mattered. "So how is he?"

Emil glanced at the door he guarded and shrugged, "Still thinks we're the enemy. Was going on about his brother earlier." The knight just nodded and went inside. There was a lot of explaining to do. Mr. Puffin flew off check-knows-where and Emil actually considered the idea that this whole thing would go off without a hitch. When was life ever that simple?

Matthew didn't even flinch when the door opened and the two royals came in, leaning back against the bed on the floor just below the windowsill. "What do you want from me?" He asked, voice just loud enough to hear.

"Us?" Lukas asked, "We want you back in Cards where you belong." The ace gave a heartless laugh but didn't respond. "What do _you_ want, Matthew?"

"Someone to be as honest as I am for once. If you really wanted to help me you wouldn't have let me get taken away in the first place. You would have sent out search parties immediately. You wouldn't let me spend days upon days tied up in the back of a wagon with no idea where I was going or when I would see another friendly face."

"It isn't that simple and you know it. I did what I could as fast as I could do it."

Finally violet eyes turned to glare at them. " _Matthias_ did more in three days than you did in two weeks. But you are going to tell me now that I've been trusting the wrong person this entire time aren't you?" Matthew started fiddling with something from his pocket, not bothering to keep up the eye contact. "So what if I trusted the wrong person? So what if he knows all of our secrets? None of you _know_ us. It changes nothing between our kingdoms."

"What, so you'd rather him left you there then? If I was in your place I'd be begging Lukas for that spell." Emil didn't understand this guy's attitude- here he was with a one way ticket off the continent and he was depressed and sad that they'd rescued him.

"Just because you risked your life to save mine does not mean I trust you. Altruism is dead." He lifted the object- now visible as some sort of blue token- up to his face and his expression just deflated from there. "If you were in my place you would know exactly why I am not 'begging' for a spell."

"Well I for one would like us all to be on the same page so- care to explain why we're risking our lives for you when you don't seem to want it?" Why wasn't Lukas saying anything about this? No one else could get away with talking to him like that, what made Matthew so special? Sure, Emil was just let in on this a few days ago but the whole thing sounded rather simple in execution. Get the kid, avoid the others, get him far away from trigger-happy Chessmen.

"I just realized I know absolutely nothing about how the war ended, if it even ended. The thought of not having a home to go back to… it is utterly terrifying. So _forgive_ me for my hesitance. It's one thing to want to do something and another to finally be able to do it."

"Well check! If that's all you needed I-"

"No!" Matthew was on his feet in a second, violet eyes filled with terror. "I do not _want_ anyone to tell me what happened, I want to wait until I can see it myself." He sat back on the bed, dropping the token back in his pocket. "I do not want…. Just please let me have this? This one thing to hold onto?"

Emil was silent after that. What was one supposed to say? Even though he knew most of what happened up to the whole strange confession thing, Matthew didn't. So he left the room without another word.

"I'll have the spell set up in an hour, alright?" Lukas asked, trying to be empathetic and not his usual cold exterior. "I understand why you do not want to know, I do not know the outcome myself, but if they made it out okay you need to be there with them."

"And if they did not?"

Lukas shrugged, leaving to the basement. "You cannot know until you get there."

* * *

Yao liked to people watch. Not in a "creepy white van" way but in a peaceful, nostalgic way. He had overheard a conversation about a scrimmage between suits and with nothing better to do he decided to observe the match.

The field they played on was dirt in the shape of a rectangle with sticks drove into the ground for goals. The players had no proper equipment or even jerseys to distinguish the teams by but they somehow got by. It had rained earlier so that "wet mud and grass" smell mixed with the buzzing of flies made it a rather muggy place to play, even more so to watch. Each player had mud flecked on their shins and calves, some even on their shirts from sliding around and tripping. If one stood still they could feel the moisture evaporating off the ground in waves.

Yet they played on. One one team were three from Spades, four from Hearts, and one from Diamonds and Clubs. On the other were four from Spades, two from Hearts and Clubs, and one from Diamonds. Yao didn't know the score and he didn't believe the players knew either but in the end it didn't matter much.

So far he'd been able to observe without anyone giving him much notice but as the sidelines started to fill in people started to seek him out for his opinion on the teams. Only giving noncommittal answers in return, the jack just enjoyed the excitement of the beautiful game.

"Mr. Yao!" A cheerfully familiar voice rose above the others and he was once again hugged without warning.

"Hello again, little one. How have you been these past few days?" He never did get her name.

Glittering brown eyes sparkled up at him. "I'm fantastic! Me and mommy are here to watch big brother play. What are you doing here, Mr. Yao? Do you know someone too?" She was bouncing with excitement, the blonde curls going with her. Despite the precarious mud her little sundress was surprisingly clean.

"Ah, no. I am just here to watch." For some reason something in those eyes sparked some familiarity but he just couldn't figure out where from. _Eh, I've seen many people in my day, it probably doesn't matter._ "Which one is your brother?"

She dragged him away from the crowd, him having to bend over slightly from the height difference. "The one all covered in mud with the grass in his hair." She giggled at the sight while Yao tried to figure out which one she was talking about.

Assuming the family was from Spades that narrowed it down slightly. Finally spotting one of the goalies who looked like a mud pie was shoved in his face there was indeed grass in his hair. From what he could see past the mud he had curly brown hair and a lanky figure. Definitely different from his little sister.

"Luna! There you are! I was- oh." A woman in her thirties ran up to then and scooped up the little blonde girl in her arms, holding her close.

"Are you her mother then?" Yao asked, assuming that their obvious similarities meant they were related.

"Y-yes. Was Luna bothering you, Sir Yao?"

The jack shook his head and chuckled. "No actually I met her before on the beach, she was just saying hello."

"Yeah mommy! I saw Mr. Yao so I decided to say hi." Her mother looked at a loss for words, finding the situation too bizarre to be true.

"W-well then..."

"Your son is a good goalie." Yao decided a subject change was for the best.

"You sound so nervous mommy. Mr. Yao is my friend, you don't have to be nervous." Luna laughed, little dimples forming on her cheeks. Luna's brother's team scored a goal and the crowd cheered, distracting Yao from the uncomfortable woman still trying to figure out what to say.

The game ended shortly after and Yao took his leave. "It was lovely seeing you again, miss Luna, congratulate your brother for me."

"Okay Mr. Yao!"

The eyes were even more familiar as an adult but there wasn't much he could do to figure out why without digging through the family's history and really, it didn't matter that much. They were just brown eyes.

* * *

"Just stand in the middle and don't move." Maybe it was just Matthew, but the basement filled with shelves of spell books and potions gave off a sense of foreboding. Or maybe it was the expressions of the two Chessmen flitting around the room making sure it was right while a strange little black and white bird kept giving Lukas the evil eye.

Emil, as he'd learned, was trying very hard not to show concern for… whatever it was that Lukas was to him but to an outsider it was terribly obvious how worried he was despite the knight's assurances that it was a simple, straightforward spell just with a lot of ingredients.

"Emil get the betas from the shelf."

The silvery blonde sighed in exasperation. "The entire room is full of shelves. Which one?"

Lukas rolled his eyes, "The only jar that glows mauve."

"What in check is mauve?"

"Purple then! The only jar that glows purple."

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

" _Emil_..."

"Fine. Fine. I'll get your _mauve betas_."

The blonde double checked that it was indeed the betas before adding it to the mixture. Or at least that was what Matthew assumed was happening, really it was like a foreign language to him.

"I don't remember this spell being so complicated. What happened to just a standard circle and pretty words?"

The book slammed on the tabletop and a sleep-deprived, incredibly agitated, and annoyed knight glared at the rook. "If I could do that one I would but I can't."

"What, you don't have it?" Lukas gave a _duh_ face and Emil huffed, standing clear of the circle's borders.

"I did not invent that one regardless, I borrowed the book from Tino."

"Tino?"

The knight didn't look up when he spoke. "I needed kinetic spells and I excel in combat."

"So what's this then?"

"Improv."

"How do you know it works then?!"

Lukas looked ready to throttle him. "Do I nitpick over your magic? As long as the ingredients are right it works." The blonde took a deep breath before starting, the exhaustion clearly written on his face. He was right, it was a simple spell. Maybe nine or ten words repeating like a mantra. Matthew just waited for something to happen, trying to ignore the all-around creepiness of Lukas' elemental magic.

The chalk circle began to glow a bright white color before rapidly switching to an angry red. Smoke tendrils curled off the stone ground like fingers.

That wasn't supposed to happen.

"What happened?" Emil started forward but Lukas held up a hand, unable to verbally tell him to stay exactly where he was. The knight's magic was delicate on purpose, one wrong move and it could literally blow up in your face. With no time to restart a live spell the only option was to improvise and try not to kill Matthew in the process.

Matthew grew more and more panicked with each second. "What's going on?"

"Do something to fix it!" Emil yelled, half in worry and half in frustration. The strange bird sensed his mood and started squawking from it's perch on a bookshelf, only adding to the chaos.

The circle flashed crimson red once again and Lukas tried to stop the spell entirely. Something upset the balance of the formula, even though they'd done everything right, meaning it was out if his control to fix.

"Get out of there Mat- Emil no!" The rook had gone to pull the ace out, ignoring Lukas completely. If something happened to Matthew, Cards would be on their doorstep in a second and they would have every right to do so.

Before he could move the room glowed a brilliant white and disappeared as fast as it came, collapsing shelves like dominos and sending the knight to the ground. He stared at the spot where a second ago two royals stood.

"E-Emil?" The only evidence that they had even been there were the scuff marks on the stone in the remains of the chalk circle.

 _Maybe it worked or I transfigured them into something tiny or…. Or they're just hiding. Yeah, they're upstairs waiting for me like this is a big prank. And then…and then…_

 _What did I do?_

* * *

A guard lowered his binoculars and _tsked_ , handing them off to the next guy. "Someone's coming."

"How many, do you think?" The second asked.

"Maybe five or six in all."

"They're coming pretty fast, don't you think?"

The former shrugged, readying his rifle just in case. "Doesn't matter much."

As the men on horseback drew nearer the guards realized they had no intentions of stopping. "Sir they aren't stopping."

The first sighed in annoyance, "Then we make them stop."

But the horses weren't stopping for anything. Their riders were out for blood.

* * *

Lukas had given up on the hope that this was all a game of hide and seek and was now replaying everything in his head trying to figure out what went wrong. The circle was right, the words were right, so what…?

Dropping his spell book on the table with a loud thunk, Lukas examined the various bottles of ingredients. All of the metalic elements were correct, the right liquids, and the ash-

The knight dug a hand through the container supposedly containing the very special ash that was the baseline for almost all of his spells. It came from one type of tree that grew only in his territory and had a very distinct attribute to it. He'd learned a while back that if he fought with magic instead of weapons, his spells would have to be irreplicable so no one could use them against him.

The ash characteristic of his magic turned a rather dull shade of green when mixed with magnesium and vinegar- a very quick and easy test. Slowly setting the jar down and dumping a generous amount of magnesium and vinegar into a big pot and adding in just a handful of the ash. Instead of green it just bubbled and fizzed.

He wasn't so much concerned as to where the real ash went but with who broke in and changed it. And who knew about the ash at all.

Deciding to worry about the culprit later- Matthew and Emil were more important- he packed up the faux ash and other small "just in case" potions and headed upstairs. Just one branch would make enough to figure out what happened to them.

A pitiful squawk stopped him in his tracks. There, on the floor, squished between two massive tomes, was Emil's annoyingly rude bird. Any other time and he would have left it without a second thought but now...?

For whatever reason, the bird had felt the burning desire to act as Emil's two-pound body guard. Meaning anyone that wasn't the rook was therefore an enemy that should not be trusted. So naturally he hated Lukas with more emotion than a bird should possess.

Gingerly shoving the books aside he picked up the bird who flapped pathetically with a noticeably broken wing. Lukas sighed, reaching for a bag to hold everything in now including an irate puffin. "Would you stop moving for just one moment?" The bird ignored him. "Do you want to die? I can leave you here just fine and go." Seemingly shoving his pride, Mr. Puffin went limp and allowed himself to be placed- with dignity damn it- inside the bag that the knight none-too-gently jostled when running upstairs.

Halfway to the back door a chorus of clashing sounds made him freeze. _Gunshots?_ Was someone attacking the castle? Who was it and why? More popping and yelling, alongside the strangled cry of a horse. What more could this day throw at him?

As if the Universe was just waiting for that question, a hand clamped over his mouth from behind while the other pinned his arms.

"It's just me, Luke. Nothing to freak out over." An annoyingly familiar voice whispered.

Satisfied that no, the knight would not freak out, Matthias moved his hand so he could talk.

"What are you doing here, Matthias? What is happening outside?"

The sound of gunfire slowly died out as the two continued moving away from the windows. "There's a crazy redhead and four others painting the grass crimson. Your uh, pawns didn't make it."

 _Mourn them later- higher priority items first._ "You did not answer my first question."

"Outside first, answers later. Unless you want to be gunned down by a random civilian?"

What a humiliating death… Still cradling the jar of ash that had displaced his brother, Lukas lead Matthias out a back entrance as quickly and quietly as possible, straight to the stables. There was no time to saddle up any horse but Lukas wasn't leaving without Pansi.

Something glass shattered, probably a window, causing the two to retreat. "I don't think we should go back in there Luke."

"I could take them." The knight was rather pissed behind all the other emotions tumbling around in his mind. Rolling some heads sounded really good right now.

A hand on his wrist stopped him. "Luke, no. They have guns."

"And I have-"

"Lost the element of surprise. One bullet Luke and you're done. Retreat now and think of revenge later right?" _(1)_

Matthias started pulling him back away from the forfeit castle when something occurred to him. "Wait." He said, brushing a hand over the jar of ashes. "What are you doing here Matthias? And do not lie to me."

Matthias sighed, dropping Pansi's reins. "Do we really have to do this here Luke?"

Indigo eyes hardened. "Yes. We do. Matthew is gone by the way, but you already knew that didn't you? You let me take him yesterday, this was all a part of your grand plan." Lukas did not like being a pawn in someone else's game, especially when the players were people he counted on.

"I… Yes. It was." Though Matthias was caught red-handed, he didn't appear that surprised.

"You sabotaged my magic supplies then too." The bishop just nodded in conformation slightly regretting that night. "Emil came to stop me from rescuing Matthew, you know. He was there when I tried sending him home." Another pitiful squawk went unnoticed by the two.

The pretend apology was replaced by confusion. "Wait what? Why didn't you say anything, Luke?! They'll kill him."

"Because he isn't here now, Matthias. Emil and Matthew are gone and without a place to perform the right spell and _supplies_ ," he shoved the jar at the bishop, "to do spells with I cannot find them. Which means their blood is on your hands, not mine." Lukas tugged Pansi's reins and started walking away, uncaring at this point what happened to his castle. He would get it back, single handedly if he had to.

"You really think Cards will believe that, Luke?" The knight just kept on walking. "Those men are in _your_ castle setting up camp believing _you_ to be the enemy. _You_ were responsible for getting the kid out of here and the White Knight of Chess should keep better track of his magic supplies among other things."

Lukas stopped but didn't face him. "You still have yet to answer my question. What are you doing in my territory?"

Matthias passed the jar back to him, trading it for the reins. "I came here to help us Luke. If you let me, I'll turn this whole thing around on those blue bastards and we can take them down together like we're supposed to. We'll get Emil back, get the others on board, and storm the gates as a team."

"And if I agree? What do I tell Feliks? He's more trustworthy than you at the moment."

"Feliks will have his own problems soon enough."

"So he is just collateral then? Like Emil was collateral? And my pawns?"

Matthias sighed, looking truly apologetic this time. "I'm sorry about Emil, alright? I didn't plan for that to happen, it just did. I didn't know an armada of angry Cardsmen would show up in Carthage and murder your pawns. But please work with me so we can get back at them for it? They came over here remember? They made the first move. We'll just have to make the last."

Lukas took one last glance back at his home, now overrun by nothing more than pirates, the same people he'd helped before, then turned away to pat his horse's neck.

"Let's go then."

* * *

 **A/N: Cliffie! Yay! I really do hope none of you actually thought this would go smoothly for, er… Chess in general. And it is "football" always and forever. Where did "soccer" even come from?**

 **I wanted to write** ** _look around yourself_** **so bad after Lukas' mild breakdown, props to those who know where that comes from. Review! Please! Biggest chapter yet (5,025) deserves more than two people giving me feedback please! Like, if you've never said anything before, now is the perfect time to do it.**

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. Ah, references. This lovely alliteration comes from a very dramatic and patriotic TV show I'm still not caught up on. The full version is "retreat, regroup, return, revenge." Props if you can figure it out.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back**

 **A/N: Eh heh. This chapter is stupidly long... longer than the previous by, oh, 800 words or so. Your welcome! If only chapter length was the secret to reviews. Also- Microsoft and Dropbox worked together to delete 18 pages of work so, once again, I'm out of backup chapters.**

 **And a refresher on the disclaimer, I don't own Hetalia.**

* * *

There was something tickling his face. He didn't know what it was but it made him itch and want to sneeze. His entire body felt numb and the most he could do was twitch his fingers and feel more of that tickly stuff under his skin.

It was dark. Was it night time? No… If it was there would still be moon and starlight or at the very least he could see an inch in front of his face. Oh wait. His eyes were closed.

Well now he felt like an idiot.

Without warning everything came surging back like a river breaking through a dam. He remembered everything in vivid detail: Waking up in an unknown room with unknown people, realizing that he was one step away from going home, the spell in the basement, the angry red light seemingly bleeding from the walls, something pushing him, blacking out once again. Whatever tickled his skin was not the cold stone floor of the basement of Lukas' castle. Meaning the magic worked.

After the flood of memories came a wave of pain to replace the numb. His entire body ached like nothing else and a few places on his face, arms, and neck stung, making him wince still in total darkness.

After trying to move his legs, arms, head, anything really, he realized he was lying on his stomach, splayed out helplessly without the strength to push himself up.

 _Okay. Sight first, then sit up._ Cracking one eye open, it looked like an over-exposed camera lens, everything was too bright and surrounded by a halo of white. It honestly felt like a nasty hangover. When the light finally faded, it was replaced by vibrant green grass and lush, rolling hills. Off in the distance were unbelievably massive mountains disappearing up into puffy white clouds and just before them, a glittering blue lake.

All in all, the oceans back home paled in comparison to the sight before him.

Wait. _Mountains_. The only mountains anywhere near Spades were way up north but they were like foothills, nothing even resembling the massive purple behemoths in front of him. That gave him enough strength to support himself on his forearms and twist his head around for a better view.

Behind him was a tree line, mostly pines and such, not a palm tree in sight. Yet it wasn't the lack of tropical flora that caught his attention, rather the platinum blonde in a crumpled heap at the base of one of those pines just a few feet behind him. And he wasn't moving.

Forgetting about the ache in his own body, Matthew scrambled over to Emil and rolled him onto his back, noticing a sizeable amount blood staining his clothes. Although they were very different, the situation reminded him of what seemed like an eternity ago, back in the cart with Nikolas and Janez. "Emil, hey, can you hear me? Say something."

Disoriented eyes fluttered open before they shut again with a hiss, "Fuck you sunshine…"

Matthew smirked, "That works."

"Where… where are we?" Matthew stood with the support of the tree and helped Emil sit up, who winced pitifully and held an arm tightly over his abdomen.

"No idea. But I believe we fell through the branches of the tree." The rook looked up at a rather large gap in the branches right above them going all the way up the trunk. The same branches that scratched them up like an angry cat.

"Fantastic." Finally taking note of his surroundings, Emil sighed with a mix of relief and dread. "Good news and bad news."

Matthew sighed with a shrug, "Good news first."

"I'd recognize those mountains anywhere," Emil said, "We're still in Lukas' territory."

Wait what? They weren't even on the same _continent_ as Cards? "How is that good news?"

"Because I can get us back there, no problem. Then we can figure out what happened and, if needed, a solution."

Well that was… Beneficial. "Bad news then?"

Emil gave a heartless chuckle. "Those mountains are a day away from his castle on horseback, on the other side is Feliks' place."

"Of course they are. Well, it will be dark soon, we should start walking." Emil nodded and made to stand, suddenly crying out and collapsing back on the grass, clutching his ankle. "What's wrong?" Matthew was on it in a second, really hoping whatever it was wasn't too bad.

"Ankle, among other things." Emil grimaced when Matthew rolled the pants leg up to reveal red and swollen skin. "I think it's broken." He but back a curse when Matthew gently examined it.

"Well… I think you're right. You probably landed on it wrong."

"Well can you fix it?" He asked through gritted teeth. Matthew dropped the foot back in the grass, causing Emil to yelp in pain, and tore the hem of his jacket. "What are you doing?"

"I can't fix it but I can set it so it will heal properly." So he got to work.

"Can I walk?"

Matthew arched an eyebrow, "You've never broken a bone before? I thought you were an old royal."

"I am, but my territory is an island isolated from the rest of Chess, I never had to do much aside from help from the sidelines." Finishing the wrap, Matthew scoured the grass for a suitable walking stick.

For some reason, he always felt more at ease when helping people like this, being able to use his medical knowledge to save lives instead of end them. It was his element. Tossing a branch at the rook he once again helped him up. "We will move slowly, alright? I think I speak for both of us when I say I do not want to camp in Chess wilderness with nothing to protect myself and a handicap."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He didn't sound angry, but there was an unnerving tone to his voice that Emil didn't like. "Why did you try to save me?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why did you, Feliks, and Lukas decide to save me?"

Emil looked rather affronted, "Because you don't belong here."

"Exactly, I am a chore on your list you have to check off. You did not save me for me, you did it to save your own hide." Matthew shrugged off his jacket and tied it around his waist, "Now our roles are reversed and I am the one protecting you. I do not like you, I do not trust you. You are my chore because your brother messed up."

"He didn't have to stick his neck out for you, none of us did! We chose to get involved and save your sorry ass from dying alone away from your home." Emil leaned heavily on his makeshift walking stick, slightly red from exertion. _If he gets this winded from just standing and yelling we're not getting anywhere. We need a doctor._ Despite logic telling him to let it go, Matthew had been holding this argument back for too long.

"No, you chose to prevent a war between our kingdoms and a civil war between your own over me and my knowledge. I am not an idiot, it was not that hard to figure out. If I died the entire dominion would be on you."

"What makes you so special, Matthew? I would really like to know why you aren't as replaceable as the rest of us are."

Matthew sighed and tried to resist the urge to punch a tree. "Let's just get back to Lukas. Fighting gets us nowhere and I would like to make progress before nightfall."

Emil didn't want to just let it go nor acknowledge that Matthew had a point so he took a shaky step forward and silently led the way.

* * *

You know the little voice in your head that gives you every excuse in the universe to not do something? Like, you have this really boring project to complete but instead of doing it you notice all the little imperfections in your room. _Oh, the fan blades are dusty, I should clean that. You know, I never did clean out the gutters. I should get a pet cat…_

That was where Feliks stood, or rather sat, upon glancing down at a very ominous puddle of something on the dirt road just ten minutes from his intended destination. Call it paranoia, but when a dark brown substance had drag marks into the forest and a trail leading endlessly on behind it, there was reason for panic.

He was only an hour behind them! How the hell did… _that_ happen in under an hour? There was no way five riders, one holding an extra horse, gained a longer gap between them and a single rider. And how did they even know where to go?

Yes, Feliks gave them directions but still, no one knew these roads like he did. Yet it seemed that didn't matter.

Taking a wide arc around the puddle of mysterious brown stuff, Feliks hesitantly continued onward. His pony must've sensed his distress because even she was skittish and rebellious when he nudged her forward.

"Like, come on. We need to… make sure." It was just five guys. Sailors, no less, not exactly trained in the art of cavalry, but that brown puddle… He inwardly shuddered, every instinct screaming at him to go back home where it was safe and warm and there were no signs of homicide.

But he had to continue. Deciding it was best for himself and his horse, he left her behind loosely tied to a tree. It would protect her and give him a stealthier entrance. The sad part was, as he approached the main gate looming silently ahead, the only weapon he had was a pistol. With six rounds.

Feliks was old, old enough to have seen more conflicts than he had fingers to count them on, but that hardly meant he was numb to violence. Could anyone ever be? Maybe in the heat of the moment with adrenaline pumping and a clear goal in mind but he was shuffling forward with a single gun shaking in his grasp, realizing just how outmatched he was and what a terrible position he was in: One man, six rounds, no backup, lower ground, and no plan. The only thing he had was the element of surprise, and what good that would do.

 _Please be okay, Icy Broski, I don't want to restart this with someone new_. Never in his life would Feliks have ever imagined that thought before, and maybe a month ago he'd call himself crazy for thinking it. The idea that no longer were there just two sides in this game though, he'd rather side with his former enemy against his presumed friend than the other way around.

If Lukas was dead though… Feliks shook his head to clear it of that possibility. It was just five guys, there's no way they got him. Not a chance.

That notion was promptly shattered once he got a look at the yard just past the gate. Bodies. Everywhere. There must have been at least fifteen pawns stationed around the castle at any given moment and now every single one of them was gone.

Several looked like they rushed the gates at once, while a few others had gotten caught completely off guard. Though the entire sight was gruesome and terrifying, it was the single pawn at the front doors that stole the show. Feliks couldn't see clearly from all the way across the yard but he could tell the man had suffered. Something was painted on the doors behind him, in more of the mysterious brown stuff: _No more negotiations_

So what then? Was Cards at war with Chess? Did they have an enemy behind their lines loose on a rampage? Feliks froze at a sudden crash from inside followed by raucous laughter. Well one thing was clear now: If he turned back now, the men inside might forget about Black entirely and his order would skate by unharmed. After all, they had greater numbers in Carthage along with three fully-functioning warships. If they were going to attack him they would have done it already and not waited for their leader to run off.

If he turned back _right now_ , his people would be safe and White could quite possibly go down in flames. If Lukas was indeed inside being held by lunatic Cardsmen, Feliks would be the only one able to rescue him. If he turned back he could ally with Cards against a common enemy and Black would have complete control of Chess forever, they trusted him as it was.

 _Keep your enemies close, but keep your friends closer. Nothing ever lasts forever_. _(1)_

If he turned back _right now_ … he'd loose his only ally and friend he'd ever made that wasn't a requirement.

Six rounds, five men. Was it possible? Yes. Was it probable? Oh fuck no. Was it necessary? Absolutely.

Deciding not to take the obvious entrance, Feliks crept around the back, finger on the trigger gripped tightly with both hands. The hesitance was gone, the fear drowned out by adrenaline. The backyard was heavily wooded, providing the perfect cover for a firefight, but trees blocked large portions of the castle were Feliks could observe without getting involved.

He took a step forward and his foot landed in something soft, very unlike the sticks and pine needles he'd been avoiding the entire time. Glancing down and pleading with the universe it wasn't something disgusting, he found it was some grey powdery mush with a nostalgic feel to it.

 _Even when running away, you manage to make a magic circle out of that damn ash of yours._ Feliks silently chuckled. _I should have allied with you sooner_. Stepping back, he realized it wasn't a circle but a curvy trail hidden under the underbrush. Unless he was looking for it his eyes would have glanced right over it.

If he had time to make a breadcrumb trail, then Lukas wasn't being held captive in his own home. So what were the sailors still doing in there? They must've figured out he'd flown the coop and they wouldn't have murdered his pawns unless they were trying to get to him. Were they merely just staking their claim?

Feliks glanced back at the trail, now confused. So… if Lukas escaped, why was he leaving a trail to follow? If he was safe he would have doubled back and left something to signify it for either Feliks or another White royal.

The knight decided the trail was there for a reason: To be followed. So he did. Running back only for his pony he completed the painstaking task of following little piles of ash through a forest in hopes it wasn't for naught.

 _You'd better be okay, Icy Broski. I do not like traipsing through the forest without a good reason behind it._

* * *

"C-can we please stop for a moment. I just need a break before this hill." Emil was pale and clammy, hand shaking the walking stick he clung to for dear life. They hadn't made it very far from where they started before Matthew was supporting half his weight, and even then they'd made it only a few miles with the constant stopping for Emil to stop seeing spots.

They had no food or water nor anything to carry potential water in and Emil was ready to sell his soul for just a sip. Their earlier conversation had long since been forgotten in the face of their new fight for survival. Matthew may not have liked or trusted him but he wasn't leaving him behind for anything. Even if he knew where he was going, navigation skills weren't the only thing keeping Emil alive.

The sun would disappear behind the mountains soon enough and they couldn't even make an adequate fire without risking burning the plants around them. Emil lay back on the soft grass, panting slightly and wincing from stretched muscles. Something was wrong with his chest, it just hurt too much for bruising.

"Matthew, I think I hit a rib earlier. Can you- Ow!" The ace had noticed it earlier but wouldn't bring it up until Emil did, if he could walk then it couldn't have been that bad. Now, however, any idiot could tell something was very wrong. So before he finished speaking Matthew was already on it, pressing down a little too hard at first.

"Sorry, let me know which hurts worse alright?" Emil was a cursing mess by the time Matthew figured out what was wrong. "You should have said something earlier, it's fractured."

"S-so what does that mean? Don't think you can wrap that like my ankle, right?"

"Even if I could all we have are strips of the jacket and until we can make a fire I would rather not use up the rest of it. I think you could walk if you absolutely had to but it will only get worse."

Emil was suddenly very tired, like the lush grass was the best bed in the world. "Well then I think we…" he was out before he finished the sentence.

Matthew watched the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, double checking that he was breathing, before trying to make a fire with wet sticks in the middle of a grassy field. Maybe he would be better in the morning, they didn't exactly have ample time to waste.

There was no other option at this point, Matthew would have to leave him behind and scout ahead for a town or at the very least something to carry him with. He'd lied to his face, the rib was fractured in several places along with the one right above it and probably hurt like hell with every breath. If he tried walking or was even half-dragged by Matthew like he had been he'd risk puncturing a lung and that would be it. That didn't even include the stress he put on his ankle, it would never heal properly if he kept putting weight on it.

In short, if Emil pushed himself any further he could die very easily. Even like this though, Matthew couldn't just leave him defenseless. So he'd wait a few hours and wake him up if needed to at least tell him he'd be leaving for a while if he absolutely couldn't move. As long as Matthew provided the right support and didn't jostle the other too much on their hike through the mountains, he should be fine. Fine being the operative word.

Stretching out the mangled jacket in the grass beside his companion, Matthew sighed and lay back, resting his head on his arms. He had to admit, the stars here were amazing away from the city. There were just so many of all different colors, all twinkling in the cloudless sky once the sun set completely.

Out of the corner of his eye, Matthew saw a very odd star. It was blinking red and white and moving at a steady pace across his field of vision. He took off his glasses and rubbed off the lenses before placing them back on his face. Nope. Still there.

Considering waking Emil for it, he decided against it. It was probably nothing, or at least not worth waking the rook for. So he just watched it go until it was too far away to follow before falling asleep himself.

* * *

"Would you stop squirming?"

"You look so happy, Luke." Matthias tried to hold back laughter but watching the normally stoic blonde try and wrap the broken wing of Mr. Puffin while the bird was fighting it with all he had was rather amusing.

"I did not ask for your opinion." Matthias raised his hands as a placating gesture but didn't stop laughing.

"Sorry, sorry." He obviously wasn't, but the knight didn't retort, instead he threatened the bird with various spells he could still perform with the meager supplies he had. Even Pansi seemed to be enjoying the show, watching her owner struggle with a bird a fraction of his size on the ground.

"Where exactly are we going?" Mr. Puffin seemed peeved but complacent when the ordeal was over and made himself at home on Pansi's head.

The bishop frowned, looking back at the way they'd came. "Away from your place." Lukas scoffed, "Well where do _you_ want to go?"

"I thought you had a grand plan past blackmailing me to do your bidding." He looked past Matthias at something on the ground, brushing past him to retrieve it as if the bishop wasn't there at all.

"Hey now. You know that's not what I-… What are you doing?"

"Picking elderberries. And if that's not what you had in mind when breaking into my basement and ruining the one chance we had at avoiding war," Lukas glared pointedly over his shoulder. "then what were you thinking?"

"The magical fruit, right… and seriously? You're still mad about that? I said I was sorry, Luke! What's it gonna take for you to forgive me?"

Lukas stiffened and turned, glare replaced by a look of complete astonishment. " _Forgive you?_ " Matthias took on an ' _oh shit'_ expression and backed up, regretting that question immediately. "What on earth makes you think that I will suddenly forgive you for this? The only reason I am still standing here is because my home, _my home_ , Matthias, is now overrun because you thought it was a good idea to declare war on an entire dominion. Not only that but my brother is gone off the face of the planet for all I know and it's all _my_ fault."

It was then that Matthias saw past the stoicism, the harsh realism he'd forced himself to believe, the air he'd tried so hard to maintain. Lukas didn't hate Matthias, not for this at least, he hated himself.

So the bishop did what any friend should do in that situation- he was there for him. In two strides he'd covered the distance between them and enveloped the shorter man in the tightest bear hug he could manage. Lukas fought it weakly but gave up shortly after.

He didn't cry, never no matter what, but got as close as possible, arms handing loosely at his sides unwilling to accept the hug. "It's not your fault, Luke. None of this is your fault."

"If I had just waited another day, I could have found Matthew before he got too far away. If my magic was better I could have negated the cloaking spell his kidnappers used. If I wasn't so tired I would have seen the changes you made in the basement and not made the mistake. If I-"

Matthias pushed back, looking down at him an arm's length away. "Luke, stop. That's like saying if you knew there was going to be an earthquake you would have been able to save an entire town from dying. You didn't know because you couldn't know. Blame me, all of this really is my fault."

"That doesn't change the fact that _I_ let it happen."

"Hey, listen to me for a sec. The men in your castle, they were on their way with genocide on their minds well before you ever did that spell. Whether you pulled it off or not wouldn't have changed what happened to your pawns. Their deaths aren't on your conscience, that wasn't your fault. Or when they showed up on Feliks' doorstep in the first place accusing _us_ , a continent that couldn't care less about them, for stealing a- a clock or whatever. That, and everything after that, was not. Your. Fault. Understand me? This entire thing is on Cards." Matthias was never the patient type but this whole conversation felt like déjà vu, they had already gone over the game plan just a few hours ago. But if finally acknowledging who was the real blame helped his friend then they could have the conversation a thousand times more. Lukas would never be the smiley type, never the open book eager to be read like Matthias had hoped he could convince him to be, but the small glimpses of the real Lukas every now and then made it worth it.

He wasn't going to get an apology or a thank you from the knight, and he wasn't expecting one, the closest thing he got was a ghost of a smile he might have missed if he was anyone else. Matthias had never been in his position before- losing his home, only family, and greatest strength in a single day with no forewarning- but he could try to imagine.

"Then I have an idea of where to go." Lukas said, scrambling to get his pride back in order. Matthias had no idea how good it felt to get that off his chest, it felt… refreshing. It was not his intention to spill everything he didn't realize he'd been holding back but in the end… it helped. If he was going to be stuck with nowhere to go and the idiot bishop as his only companion, better not to fight it the entire time.

"Really? Well what are we waiting for then?" Matthias hauled up the forgotten sack of elderberries, happy his friend was finally trusting him.

"Let's go to Tino."

"We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Chess!" _(2)_

"I liked you better when you were trying to comfort me." He'd positioned them carefully so Pansi and Mr. Puffin were a barrier between them; Matthias had an affection problem that would never go away if went unchecked.

"Is that a thank you I hear over there?"

"Even with my limited supplies I can still hex you."

Matthias chuckled, "Glad you're back, Luke." He muttered, just low enough to go unnoticed by the other.

* * *

Emil woke up feeling cold, uncomfortable, and wet, most likely the morning dew making itself at home all over his and Matthew's clothes. Somehow, knowing that he couldn't turn that water into a drink made it so much worse than just damp clothes.

Knowing not to even try sitting up, Emil just turned his head to look around, confused as to where he was for a split second. Matthew was curled up in a shivering ball next to him yet was somehow still asleep. The sun hadn't made its way over the mountains yet, but it was light enough to see the mist low on the grass around them and a black circle on the ground, appearing to be a failed attempt at fire.

Slow and steady, Emil pushed himself up with his arms, trying not to cry out in pain. Oh it hurt, it hurt so much from being in the same position all night, everything was stiff as a board. From where they were now, they had just over eight hours going the regular pace before they made it back. It was times like these when he wished he had learned the more vital points of magic and didn't always think that he'd be close enough to his trademark supplies to do anything at all. The Universe was probably laughing it's ass off out there about that one. It wasn't his fault the damn island he was confined to had resources found nowhere else, but best not to tell Matthew that they had another moot option.

"Hey, Matthew," His voice was scratchy and dry, sounding more like they were stranded in a desert rather than countryside. "Wake up." The ace seemed to curl in on himself tighter, as if that would block out the world and all its annoyances.

But he couldn't block out the world, and woke up with a heavy sigh. "In my dream, this was the false reality and back home was the real world." He lazily rolled his head to gaze tiredly at Emil. "I want to go back there."

Emil huffed, "I'm with you there. But we should get moving before the sun gets too hot."

Matthew helped the rook stand, not allowing him to try and support himself alone, and they got walking. It was slow, tedious, and hot without any reprieve from the elements. Even Matthew was seeing spots when they took a break to scavenge for food four hours later.

They were somewhere inside a forest, massive trees looming above them on the hills and boulders larger than carriages seemingly waiting for gravity to take its course. Emil was leaning back against one while Matthew hunted in widening circles for anything edible.

"Hey do you hear that?" Emil suddenly called, pushing off against the rock and craning his head to listen better.

"What is it?" Matthew came rushing back empty handed, but with a few pine needles in his hair.

"I think it's…" Both remained still as statues, Matthew struggling to pick up on whatever Emil was hearing. "I think its water."

Matthew still heard nothing but it was worth a shot. He just hoped Emil wasn't finally losing it from dehydration. He hiked a little further uphill and found the energy to run when, sure enough, a tiny crystal creek flowed softly over smooth stones.

Once he'd dragged Emil up the two practically collapsed in the icy water, drinking it up like animals. "I didn't think water could taste this sweet…" Matthew sang, cupping some in his hands and pouring it on his head. Emil almost didn't remember to breath, gulping down as much water as possible and ignoring the ache every time he swallowed.

"Hey look! Berries!" Matthew didn't want to leave sight of the creek, fearing it would somehow disappear in the time it took to pick some of the black fruit.

"Hm? Berries?" Emil's gaze shifted over to the bush perched tauntingly on the other side of the creek, before slowly laughing. Matthew stared as the laugh developed into hysterics to the point where Emil was wiping his eyes from tears caused by the laugh and pain in his chest.

"T-those a-are elderb-beries, Matt." He said between gasps, face still flushed red. "They've got m-magical properties. Lukas u-uses them all the t-time. Of all the plants to come across…" Matthew stopped listening after "magical" and practically dove for the bush, ripping off a branch. "Wait don't!" A single black fruit was halfway to Matthew's mouth when Emil caught it, "Can't eat them raw- poison."

Matthew practically pouted like a little kid in disappointment, "Well I wonder how many people died before they figured that one out. So I can cook them and they will be fine?"

"Yeah, for the medical use."

"Medical?"

Emil took the branch and started picking off berries and putting them in a pile. "Yeah, kinda like a vitamin or something, helps fight infections I think. Lukas only uses them raw though, so I don't know exactly what they do."

"We still can't make a fire, though and even then I don't want to undercook them."

"Then let's keep going, we'll reach civilization before sunset." So they kept walking, mourning the loss of water along the way.

"Is that… a light?" The sun was blocked out by the tree canopy most of the time so it was relatively dark on the forest floor. Emil glanced up, seeing a small yellow light through the thick trunks around them.

"I think it is. Come on, it's just a little further." Eventually the trees thinned out to another clearing and a rainbow of flowering plants sprung up all around them. Another lake, the same daunting mountains in the background, and a rather massive house on a hill gave off that yellow light through the windows.

"What in check even is that thing? I've never seen a building like that before." The structure of the house was so odd, so… modern yet ancient at the same time. Bordering the entire house- mansion really- were stone walls rising to mid-window while above the stone were just white painted walls, the coat looking almost fresh.

"It's a house, and that is good enough for me." Matthew started forward but Emil held back, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Imagine you were the owner of the house and you saw the two of us walking up to your front door. What would you think?" Matthew frowned and looked down. Both of their clothes were dirty, some parts covered in grass stains while others were ripped and tinged with blood, especially Emil's clothes. Their hair was disheveled, matted, and dirty, some parts with plant pieces in them and their faces looked rather gaunt from nearly two days without food or water.

"I would be rather terrified actually." Matthew shrugged and continued onward regardless, dragging Emil behind him. Appearances were not as important as getting Emil fixed up so they could eventually make it back.

Both were panting by the time they reached the rather impressive front door, Emil hanging exhaustedly on Matthew, practically on the ground.

"Well, here goes nothing."

* * *

 **A/N: Poor Emil… and Lukas. You have no idea how much fun it is writing the "behind the mask" of these characters, especially my favorites. No Cards this chapter! I made the executive decision to skip all of the propaganda of their lovely union tournament because it's boring to write and even more so to read. So, anyone have any theories as to what that mysterious blinking star was? ^^**

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. "Nothing lasts forever" is a line from a very old Nation in Axis Powers. I love that episode, it's one of the few (kinda) serious ones out there.**

 **2\. "We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!" Classic. And a fitting movie for the chapter *hint, hint*.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Double, Double, Toil and Trouble**

 **A/N: Welcome to Chapter Eventually! It's been a long wait, I know, but you gotta have good buildup right? So enjoy and pay attention to who's POV it isn't, the names won't be as confusing that way and a warning for a pissed-off blonde's language.**

* * *

Somehow in the chaos of organizing a massive event, there is always something obvious one forgets. Like, "face-palm of the century" obvious. Just four days until the tournament that would make or break the union, and Časlov was freaking out.

He was not the paranoid or self-conscious type, usually just being himself, uncaring of what the world thought, but that wouldn't be acceptable come the weekend and as the saying went, "image is everything".

Roderich had made it clear that although they'd never said anything, the other royals were pinning it all on him if something went wrong. In a tournament with six stages and fields across the dominion- something was bound to go wrong. It was Murphy's Law.

At the same time though, as much as he hated to admit it, he could see where they were coming from. Reputations took lifetimes to build and seconds to destroy and once they were gone they were nearly impossible to get back. Royals especially couldn't just walk away from the job if they lost faith in it, it was all or nothing.

Better to blame the newbie with no past than to make everyone hate one that had been alive for decades.

But still, it sucked to be him. Even though he knew they all went through it, it still felt like the universe singled him out to be the guinea pig. Which, in a way, he was. The idea of reuniting would have been the punchline to a bad joke before he showed up to push it along.

And on top of all that stress, his co-worker was plotting his downfall. It felt like his mind was in the midst of a civil war. One side telling him to just go up and confront her about her cowardly behind-the-scenes puppeteering while the other was screaming, _Run you bastard!_

"I can't say I remember ever being this stressed during my first few weeks. Kids these days have it all wrong." Časlov definitely did _not_ squeal like a schoolgirl at the voice. The intruder only arched an eyebrow. "Who- um, Yao right?"

"Am I?" He smirked at the brunette's indecisiveness. "You need to work on remembering names, especially if this union is going to work."

"I should think that just because the borders are fading doesn't mean royals can come and go as they please then."

"Well at least you remember something. But I'm actually here on invitation, Roderich had something he needed to discuss." Yao simply turned and left Časlov to his business, which was pacing in front of a window at ten o'clock at night.

"W-wait!" Maybe it was just his recent bout of paranoia, but who called a meeting two hours before midnight? Yao stopped anyway, halfway down the hall. "I- um… Can I ask you something?"

"It is rather late and I would like a chance to get _some_ sleep on the lengthy train ride back home."

"It'll be fast I swear, I just want your opinion on something." Yao sighed and checked his watch but nodded for him to continue.

 _Why, of all people, are you asking_ this _guy? You don't even_ know _this guy!_ Časlov blocked out the discord in his head, replacing it with, _it's a golden opportunity don't screw it up_. "What do you know about Elizabeta?"

Yao frowned as if he hadn't heard right. "The queen? Why do you ask?" _Because she's out to kill me and is a threat to this whole operation!_

"She's… rather reclusive about her thoughts and I wanted an outside opinion."

"Roderich or Natalya would have a better image of her than me. Now if that's all you wanted I really must be going." Yao left for the second time, oblivious to the terrified expression on the king's face.

 _I just have to do the same thing I did with Roderich. The others deserve to know what she's doing. But Yao is a lot stronger than him…_ Časlov had an idea that would either be called genius or up for the Darwin award.

* * *

Flipping another page in her book, smiling at the next scene, Liechtenstein was comfortable, happy even. Earlier she'd been able to leave the windows open and listen to the birds and the wind in the trees, the perfect day for relaxing.

Until Switzerland came home. He tried his best not to get frustrated around his adopted sister, it wasn't her fault the other Nations could be complete asses sometimes, but sometimes he just needed to vent.

Lili pretended she didn't hear him methodically muttering every curse word in the dictionaries of several languages. " _Halo_ , big brother, how was your day?"

He sighed, dropping his keys on the counter with a loud clatter. "It was alright, Lili, nothing to worry over."

 _Sure, big brother, I believe you._ "I was going to start dinner soon but maybe you should take a nap or something?"

"No, it's fine. I'll make dinner, in a little bit." It really was strange how oblivious the blonde was to how bad a liar he could be.

"But big brother it would make me happy to see you less stressed, and you deserve it after a long day." Liechtenstein only appeared as a tween, she definitely didn't have the maturity of one. Not that Switzerland wanted to believe his little sister was growing up into the world of politics just like everyone else.

She understood why he wanted her to stay innocent, she'd been a principality for longer than America had been a country and knew the ways of the world, but she also wanted to repay her big brother for everything he'd done for her.

Small things here and there would have to be enough for now, small favors like offering to make dinner, or sewing frilly pink pajamas, or letting him take a much-needed nap after a long day of work with the politicians.

Switzerland somehow convinced himself that it would upset her greatly if he didn't take a break and therefore it was only right that doing so would make her happy. So he went upstairs, missing the triumphant smile on his little sister's face.

Liechtenstein was making a roast for dinner so it would take a while anyway, just enough time for a good nap.

Halfway through preparing the meal she heard a knock at the door. _Maybe Mr. Austria is here? He's the only one that ever comes by anyway._ Instead of waking her brother up like she knew he would want she cleaned her hands and answered the door herself.

" _Halo,_ may I-"

"Lili?" Standing on the porch were Canada and Iceland, or at least it looked like Canada and Iceland behind the dirt, mud, blood, and plant matter. The platinum blonde appeared half-dead, barely hanging on to his companion's arm, as if trying to drag the other down to the bricks with him.

Liechtenstein didn't know what to do, this situation had never happened before- at least around her. Switzerland had taught her how to shoot to kill, not how to deal with apparently dying acquaintances. Yet when Canada started to keel over, dropping Iceland in the process on the hard ground, she instinctively caught him. Or tried, since he was significantly taller and heavier than her.

"Um, Mr. Canada?" _What do I do now?_ One thing for sure was that she wasn't waking her brother for this…yet. She was a big girl, she could handle two incapacitated Nations. Or at the very least she would try. Besides, he needed the rest.

So she carefully set Canada down on the closest arm chair and dragged Iceland inside onto the couch, slightly out of breath when finished.

Well now there were two arctic Nations dead to the world on their living room furniture and a strange smell…. _The roast!_

Forgetting about the blondes for a moment she rushed to salvage dinner, hoping the smell wouldn't reach the bedrooms upstairs. _Maybe I should call America… maybe he'd know why Canada is here._

Multitasking between stirring a pot, dialing a phone, and making sure the unattended guests were not figments of her imagination, she waited for the superpower to answer.

" _Sup, Lili?_ "

"Um, Mr. America… did you know Mr. Canada was here?"

There was a moment of silence before that boisterous laugh made her yank the phone away from her ear. " _I never figured you were the type for prank calls, but good try! Mattie's right here with me. Did you want to talk to him or something?"_

She dropped the cooking spoon on the floor with a clatter, the phone nearly following. _If Canada's not on my couch… then who is?_

" _Liechtenstein? You still there?"_

 _Maybe I should go get big brother._ Leaving the phone on the counter, the call still in session, she bounded up the stairs and nearly ran straight into the person she was looking for.

"B-big brother. You woke up early." She suddenly felt very hesitant about telling him what happened. What if he got mad that she didn't tell him sooner? Or that she let them inside in the first place? What if he was just mad in general that she'd possibly woken him up?

He tried to step around her but she impulsively got in his way again, forcing an everything-is-fine-and-there-are-not-possibly-strange-people-in-the-living-room smile, hoping he was too tired to notice.

"Lili, is everything alright?"

"Um…" _What do I do?! Big brother is definitely going to be mad! And the roast is going to burn again if I stall any longer. This is what I get for trying to be helpful._

"Liechtenstein." Switzerland was stern, not mad. Definitely not mad. But she didn't see it that way.

"I-um, w-well there was a knock a-and so I- and now they're- and he said-" She was cut off by a noise downstairs and hoped Switzerland hadn't heard it. He gave her a guarded look that said he had, before disappearing back into his room and reappearing a second later in the midst of loading a shot gun.

"Big brother wait-"

"Stay up here until I tell you." The Swiss did not like surprises, especially in his own home. Maybe he was overreacting but last time he brushed it off was seventy years ago and look where it got him. _(1)_

He wasn't going to admit it, but he'd been expecting Italy to be somewhere on the property just asking to be target practice. But hey, a Canadian in his living room was just as good.

"What do you think you're doing here, Canada?" Said blonde was gawking at the room around him, from the cell phone- _Liechtenstein's cell phone_ \- in his hands to the television on the wall that he somehow got to play static to the crooked lampshade next to him.

"Basch!" The Canadian cried, launching himself at the blonde and throwing him off balance. "You're really here, I never thought I'd be so happy to see you."

 _…What? Wha-why is this happening?_ He shoved the blonde off, trying to figure out what the hell was going on, no longer caring about shooting anything. No one touched Switzerland, it was an unspoken yet universal rule that every Nation followed except one.

"What happened with the war? Is everyone okay? I thought we were still in Chess but-"

"Canada, _what_ are you talking about?" The blonde's smile vanished instantly.

"W-what did you call me?" Switzerland was the loner type, never one to involve in world affairs unless he absolutely had to, so dealing with mental Nations was not something he was good at. The cell phone rang again and this time Switzerland took it from him, checking the caller ID and finding America to be less important than the man in front of him. "Basch-"

"It's Switzerland." For formality's sake he always used Nation names but he wanted to see if Canada recognized him for what he was at all. There was no war, therefore no one to get injured, and "Chess" wasn't a country or a city or a place. It was a board game.

Canada laughed and Switzerland could tell it was forced. "What do you mean 'It's Switzerland'? You are Basch, Jack of Diamonds in the Dominion of Cards." At Switzerland's blank look he crumpled, completely defeated, to the hardwood floors.

"But… no. No, no, _no_." He glared up at the Swiss, "Do you know who I am? Who _he_ is?" He jabbed an arm in Iceland's direction, drawing attention to the previously ignored rook. "Where am I?"

"About an hour from Bern." The blonde had a horrible suspicion the name would mean nothing to him.

Matthew was silent, then laughing lowly, shoulders shaking with false mirth. "What did I do?" He asked the ground. "What did I do to deserve this? What did I _fucking_ do to deserve this, huh? I'm a good ace, a good brother, and a good person. I became a doctor, I _saved lives_ , I went on this grand quest to a kingdom I now loathe, and for what? All I got out of it was being kidnapped and shipped to so many places, been the pawn to so many people, and now I'm in a random land I have never even heard of with a half-dead rook to take care of."

Switzerland was never the type to believe in myths and magic, it just didn't saturate his culture like it did for some of the others. He was a man of science, not faith. Yet no one was that convinced of being someone he wasn't without some truth behind it. What other explanation was there for the personifications of Canada and Iceland- two Nations that rarely saw each other- to show up beaten and bloody on his doorstep? But that didn't explain _how_ they were there.

The Swiss was out of his element here, but the one thing he understood was people in need and Iceland- if he even _was_ Iceland- needed help. "I'm taking your friend to the hospital, you can stay here or come with me." Wallowing in self-pity wasn't helping anything, distractions are what got you through it- something he knew best.

He looked taken aback, probably expecting Switzerland to either yell at him, agree with him, or put that gun to use. Instead of talking he stood and helped the Nation carry his companion to the car.

"What's his name?" Up close, the Swiss could tell the platinum blonde was shivering, sickly pale, and clammy. Initially it looked somewhere close to pneumonia, which could be the case if they were outside in the wilderness for too long but from the care taken by not-Canada there was clearly something else. Whatever was afflicting him was only getting worse.

"Emil, and my name is Matthew. As far as I know it's a broken ankle and two fractured ribs and whatever else he contracted while we were out there." Switzerland didn't have to ask to know they were human, even if he didn't believe the game story. Matthew wouldn't be so worried about him if he could heal like a Nation.

Matthew balked at the sight of the car but didn't say anything while Switzerland went back inside to tell Liechtenstein where they were going.

"When we get back, both of us have a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

Empty trains were relaxing trains, and Yao was enjoying every second of it. He got a bench to himself, a car to himself, and a train nearly to himself to do as he pleased, which was reading over the documents Roderich had given him.

Most of it was just copies of treaties and trade agreements that he had to sign, all embellished with the seal of Clubs. The big tournament was just a big test really, to see how their people reacted with inter-suit competitions. If it worked, then they could unveil the plan to reunite.

He sighed, letters starting to swim off the page and do funny dances… maybe it was best if he saved it for the morning after all. Packing up the forms, one fell out of the stacking order, folded unlike the others.

" _Caboose"_ was written in chicken scratch in the center of the page.

Yao frowned, unsure of how that had gotten mixed in with the paperwork but curiosity got the better of him. Drawing his sword just in case, he made his way to the back of the eight-car train, taking the bag of forms with him.

The last few cars weren't lit for the lack of passengers, making the walk down the aisle creepier with every step. They were riding through the desert, moonlight beaming unobstructed through the windows while the only sound was the white noise of metal wheels on metal tracks.

Upon reaching the last car, he slid the door open while brandishing the sword, finding just an empty train car. Frowning again, he proceeded to check each seat for possibly something left behind that the sender of the note wanted him to have.

Halfway down the aisle something clicked and the car immediately lost forward momentum. Running back to the front, he saw the rest of the train advancing into the distance, the caboose staying exactly where it was. Someone disconnected the cars.

"Hi." Faster than the owner of the voice could think, he was pressed against the railing with a shiny metal blade at his throat.

"Who are you?"

"Pleasedonthurtme!" The man held up his hands in surrender, blue eyes catching the moonlight.

Yao recognized the voice and pulled back. "Časlov?"

"U-um yeah. I said hi, you're kinda supposed to say it back."

Yao waved at the empty space where the rest of the train should have been. "Why did you disconnect the cars?"

"Because I need to talk to you." He said, as if that made all the sense in the world.

Yao just stared. "If you wanted to talk, why didn't you just come up to _my_ car instead of acting all creepy with the note?!"

The king suddenly got defensive. "Because you wouldn't have listened to me. Now you're stuck here with me until the conductor realizes part of the train is gone and you have to hear what I have to say whether you want to or not."

Yao sat down on the step, burying his head in his arms. "I can't believe this is happening." He muttered.

Časlov nudged his shoulder, holding out something in his hand. "Want some chocolate?" Yao didn't dignify that with an answer.

* * *

Matthew was like a little kid again, touching every little button or light or switch on the dashboard.

"What does this do?"

"Changes the air temperature."

"And this?"

"Switches gears."

"What about this?"

"Turns on the radio. Why don't you listen to it while I think up a story for the doctors?" Switzerland flipped it on and out of the speakers came classical music he'd never admit to Austria he listened to. Matthew figured out the tuner wheel and began channel surfing.

"What are they singing in? I can't understand the words." Switzerland rarely listened to anything but the instrumental stations so hearing the newest pop song- which was in French- was not something he was happy about.

"It's not in English." It occurred to him that Canada spoke fluent French, and would know what the song meant. Either Matthew was trying really hard to keep up some façade or whatever he was, wherever he was from, was not their Earth. And now he sounded like America, rambling about aliens. "Where you're from-"

"Spades."

 _Right, the inside of Jumanji._ "Is English the only language?"

"As far as I know no but it's the most widespread. But I've never heard words like these before." So in the magical game land they all spoke English and didn't have 21st Century technology in the slightest. Why was it Switzerland of all places they had to show up?

They finally made it to the hospital parking lot and Switzerland turned off the car but didn't let Matthew get out. "The story is that you and Emil are my cousins. You're here on vacation and went hiking today and Emil fell and broke his ankle and ribs, you went after him and carried him back to the house."

Matthew nodded slowly. "You seem to be completely okay with making up lies for you doctors." He noted.

Switzerland got out of the car, slamming it shut. "I've had a lot of practice."

They were lucky the hospital wasn't too busy that day, so there weren't a lot of people to gawk at the odd duo walking in the doors half-dragging another. Switzerland had taken over the explanation part while Matthew tried not to ask too many questions about the strange glowing box on the desk on the other side of the counter or the tablet with the alphabet on it the lady kept hitting with her fingers. _(2)_

While they rushed Emil off to ER, a nurse had persuaded Matthew to at least be checked out for the various scrapes and cuts- to which he grudgingly agreed as long as the one person he trusted in the strange land came with them.

Sitting in an examination room waiting, Matthew rifled through the keep-yourself-busy books on the counter.

"What does this say?" He held up a colorful book with an airplane on the cover.

"It's a book on travel." He said absently, texting Liechtenstein that it would be a longer wait than originally planned.

Matthew flipped through pages, ignoring the fact that it was complete gibberish to him. On one page was a map titled _Europa_ with lines connecting the various cities one could fly to and from. Though way more detailed than the one he knew, he recognized it as the Chess from his world.

"Where are we on this map?" Switzerland took the book and pointed to Bern. Matthew muttered a thank you and continued flipping through the book until he'd found the map resembling Cards. "And here? It's where my home is."

"America, south of it is Mexico." Matthew frowned, that name was familiar. Very familiar. He dropped the book with a loud thunk, eyes wide with realization.

"Matthew?"

"Y-you and magic and country-people and dear ante I've been _here_ the whole time?" It was so obvious, how had he missed it? _'The United States of America, is a freaking_ king _?' 'It sounds to me that a trip to Europe is on the horizon. Whether its name is France or not it is still my land.' 'In our world countries are divided differently, I represent Canada up in the north.'_

"Are you okay? Matthew-"

"I- you're a country." It wasn't a question. "You have to be- you called me Canada when you first saw me. Is your sister a country too then?"

He seriously doubted that Matthew had connected the one time he'd said his name in the past ninety minutes and a map entirely in German. "How do you know that?"

Matthew picked up the book again, flipping back to the map of North and Central America. "Because a person from my home, _here_ ," He pointed to Florida, "Summoned twelve people from this world a month ago. I know America and Canada, and the others. They were in a war between kingdoms in my home."

"As far as I know, twelve Nations didn't just disappear off the face of the earth at any point in time." Wouldn't someone have known if they just randomly vanished long enough to participate in a war between card games? Or at least they would have told someone that _hey, there's totally an alternate dimension out there made of board games!_

Switzerland left the room to make a few calls. If Matthew was telling the truth then the others would know who he is.

" _Switzy! Listen man Lili called earlier and she didn't answer after I kept calling and is everything alright?"_ So that was why her phone kept going off.

He sighed, wondering if this was all a strange figment of his imagination. "Lili is fine, Alfred."

" _Really? Well then why did she freak out when I said Mattie was with me? I wasn't trying to be mean or anything, I swear!_ "

"Does 'Spades' mean anything to you?"

"… _Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. Why?_ "

"You do realize that by saying that it automatically means you know what I'm talking about right?"

" _Whatever man._ "

"I'm sitting in a hospital in Bern having just drove two people here. One of them claims to be Matthew from Spades and he claims to know you."

There was a long silence, like he'd covered the phone with his hand on the other end. " _We should call a meeting._ "

"So his story checks out then. What did he mean twelve of you participated in a war a month ago?"

" _Not important Switzy! Just call a meeting with the G12 plus you and Lili ASAP."_

"I am not authorizing a meeting with fourteen delegates without some background knowledge on the subject, Alfred."

" _Welcome to the Fight Club, Switzy. The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club."_ Then he hung up.

* * *

 **A/N: Out of all the Nations I could have chosen for Matthew and Emil to get stuck with, I picked Switzy. Or rather, you picked Switzy when you voted ;)**

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. In WWII the GPS wasn't invented yet so planes continuously bombed the wrong cities, namely in Switzerland when they were supposed to be attacking Germany and France. The Swiss just threatened them instead of actively getting involved, because it really wasn't the pilots' fault "all German cities look the same" and it wasn't enough to drag them into the war.**

 **2\. Come on, what is the magical glowing box on the desk? I'll give you a hint- it is not a miniature TARDIS**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Catch-22**

 **A/N: In one week I got 10 reviews, 11 favorites, and 7 follows over three separate stories (including my new one-shot you should totally read; virtual cookie if I make you cry). Thanks for the review, Guest! With this chapter I christen thy fanfiction over 100 pages long. Oh and I can't speak German nor do I want to try fitting full sentences into Google Translate so pay attention to the italics.**

* * *

Feliks was growing increasingly annoyed with his supposed ally. He'd been following a path, if one could even call it that, all morning and it just didn't end. Whenever he thought it did, it made a sharp turn in a random direction. If ash could laugh, it would probably be hysterical with Feliks creative curses.

The worst part of it all was the underbrush was so thick, he had go down on his hands and knees to see where he was going. "Like, my hair is a mess, I will never get these stains out, and I'm hungry. But keep going, Mr. Path. Like, I don't give a damn if you suddenly take a random turn out of nowhere, I'm fine! Just keep on doing what you're doing. Just know that you are on my list." _The things I do for people… I deserve an award or something._

Up ahead, there was a tiny clearing with the charred remains of a fire that appeared at least a day old. Three sets of tracks lead in the opposite direction, one obviously being that of a horse.

"If I was, like, running from people out to kill me I would not make tracks in the mud." Something white among the blackened branches caught his attention and he kicked away the charcoal to reveal it. "Fantastic, another note."

 _Go back to Carthage, Feliks. Pretend like you don't know what happened if Allistor returns, but do not let him leave back to Cards- stall until I say otherwise. As far as Matthias is concerned our alliance is void, do not give him a reason to believe otherwise. Matthew and Emil have gone missing and I am involving Tino to figure out what happened to him- do_ _not_ _follow us._

"Well if you didn't want me to follow you broski, you shouldn't have told me where you were going. But fine, I'll just do everything you tell me to because I'm a pushover. I came all the way out here to see if you're okay and this is what you have to show for it?" Feliks tore up the note and grudgingly headed west. "You want me to stall? Fine, but you aren't getting rid of me that easily."

* * *

There was a very good reason why the five royals of White were spread far, far apart across the continent. When they got together, among other things it was volatile for themselves as well as the rest of the dominion. Matthias would complain about his status to Berwald, which would annoy Lukas to no end, so Tino would try to be peacekeeper while Emil laughed the entire time.

Then there was Hanatamago (the fifth), who only added to the chaos by running around in circles and nipping at everyone's heels. As the puffball with legs came sprinting out of the side-yard of the White Queen's castle just to try and tackle the knight to the ground, he knew this time wouldn't be any different than the others.

Lukas had nothing against dogs, or any animal really, but the pets his makeshift family owned seemed out to get him. Mr. Puffin gave him a death glare any chance he got and Hana seemed determined to attack with an arsenal of slobber every chance she got, a trait she'd inherited from her predecessors.

Not far behind the puffball came Tino, who was chasing after her. "Hana! Where did you go-" Tino's expression lit up like a Solstice tree when he saw them, as if they hadn't seen each other in decades.

"Hey Tino!" Matthias yelled, waving like an idiot.

"What are you guys doing here?" Tino's gaze flitted between the grinning bishop, nonplused knight, horse, and the puffin sleeping on the horse's back, slowly growing more confused.

"I wish it was for a better reason." Lukas said, handing Tino the bag of magic supplies. "That is all I have left."

Tino frowned, "What happened?"

"You and Berwald missed a lot."

"Come in, I suppose. We can talk there." Tino was special. Out of all the royals in chess, he was the only one that kept connections with his original family, as well as the families of the other White royals. He attended every funeral, every birthday, every major holiday with them even though he always came home crying when it was over. He'd said it was because family was the most important aspect of humanity, and when one left it behind they abandoned a part of themselves as well.

On the train ride over, both Lukas and Matthias were regretting involving him even though it was completely necessary. Tino always tried to be the fixer of every problem and took it personally whenever something bad happened to anyone, even if he had absolutely nothing to do with it. They didn't want to see the expression on his face when they told him what happened.

"Start at the beginning. I want to know everything." Tino listened aptly to everything from Feliks arriving with a favor all the way to the end, paying close attention to their shifts in attitude over time. He always put family before everything, and if his family was unhappy there would be hell to pay until they were.

Halfway through he'd begun petting Mr. Puffin, being the only one aside from Emil the bird tolerated. "And what exactly do you want my help with?" The way he saw it they had one option before a war broke out, but it was risky and he knew the others wouldn't like it.

"As much as I would enjoy rolling heads down marble stairs, I do not believe the rest of Cards knows what happened." Lukas said, trying to ignore Matthias making a pyramid of berries on the table.

"Why wouldn't they? The man shows up flying Cards colors with one clear intention. That seems pretty knowledgeable to me."

"Why don't we ask them and find out?" Tino suggested, "I understand why you kept them in the dark before but this has gone too far. For all you know Emil and Matthew successfully crossed the ocean and are somewhere in Cards right now."

"I take it you have already made up your mind regardless of whether I agree or not?" Lukas asked, bumping the table lightly so the pyramid fell. Tino gave a sly smile and left to dust off his own spell books.

* * *

"You do realize that by telling them what happened to Matthew over here they won't just be willing to brush it under the rug, assuming that Allison wasn't sent to kill." Matthias never trusted magic, there were too many unexplainable things and rules to follow it was just unstable. More unstable than a nice, shiny ax or gun or sword. If anything manual labor did the job _better_ than magic did because it was accomplished by hand, which made the final result all the more enjoyable.

"If you would care to remember, _you_ are the cause of that, Matthias." This was like déjà vu. Once again he was in the middle of a spell and once again someone was interrupting every second with snarky commentary.

"I love it when my family gets along." Tino muttered, unheard by the other two. Unlike the knight he had no problem working through distractions and within a matter of minutes the window spell was up and running. This would be simple. Tino would put on his best face and explain everything he could to the strange kingdom in the west and they would hopefully reach a peaceful consensus that didn't involve war. Communication- it solved every dispute. And if it didn't well…. There were always other _convincing_ options out there.

Tino cleared his throat, smiling sweetly at his companions to get them to shut up. "Ladies you are both equally beautiful but there are more important matters at hand." Matthias looked rather affronted then took the comment as a compliment, while Lukas' expression never changed.

"Whoa, what is this thing?" The bishop reached out and ran a hand through the forming image, causing it to flicker.

"I call it a window, it connects two different places as if they were only separated by glass."

"Why haven't we used this before to communicate? This sounds way easier than sending letters back and forth."

"We have. I just didn't tell you because you would try to take advantage of it." Before Matthias could retort the other royals shushed him as an unfamiliar picture formed in the 'window'. Standing almost expectantly in a ballroom of sorts was a woman with wavy brown hair, grass-green eyes that matched her outfit, and almost a smirk on her face.

Tino frowned. "Did you not say the royals of Spades were all men?"

"And they all wore blue." Lukas' eyes narrowed, not leaving the woman's face as he spoke.

"Well of course I am not a royal of Spades." The smirk was definitely there now. "They don't deserve me."

"Then who are you?" Tino knew what the spell was supposed to do, they were supposed to connect with Spades, more precisely their leaders. And she clearly wasn't one of them.

She glanced between the three of them before deciding to answer. "Queen Elisaveta of Clubs. I can't say I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintanceship sir…?"

Tino was guarded now, this definitely shouldn't have happened. "I'm afraid I'm not telling you that yet." Elisaveta nodded as if expecting the answer, toying with something between her gloved fingers.

"If I told you why your spell didn't work would you tell me your name?"

"Possibly…" Lukas said, really hoping Matthias didn't say anything stupid.

"It was really quite simple, actually. I just ran interference. Anything from Cards to Chess and vice versa is redirected to me. A rather handy spell, if I do say so myself."

"Why did you do that?" Matthias asked before coming to stand front in center of the window, uncaring about his companions' wariness.

"Reasons. Now, I know the three of you are royals yourselves, if you wanted to keep that a secret you should have changed into something less aristocratic, or at least something clean for the tall one in the middle- you look like you've been sleeping in the dirt." All three of them were dressed in customary White royal attire, obviously rather distinguishable from regular clothes. "I can tell you I bear no ill will between us, you don't have to hide."

"What makes you think we'll believe you?"

"Well I can give you what you want."

"And what would that be?" Tino asked as calmly as possible before the knight could retort.

Elisaveta disappeared for a moment, coming back with a folded paper. "I happen to know that three of Spades' best ships along with a top navy captain are currently in your lands, and that said captain is currently under no military obligation to do so. He and his men are there simply for revenge."

Tino glanced at the knight for the nod to continue, "Go on."

"I also know that the man who allowed him to leave is Yao, the jack your friend on the left met him." She smirked knowingly at his slightly surprised expression. "Here in Cards there has been a shift in regimes, one I do not care for in the slightest." Elisaveta unfolded the paper and revealed it to be a flyer for a tournament of sorts.

"I fail to grasp how this concerns us." Tino said, trying to channel his inner stoicism.

"The entirety of Cards is on its way to reunification, each suit's government will soon become irrelevant and I will have no more control over my kingdom. If, hypothetically, that reunion were to fail, I would maintain my status and all would be right in the world." She cast the flyer to the side, greed suddenly taking over her expression.

"I want my kingdom's glory restored, and I know you want revenge for being the scapegoat of our war. Who am I to stand in your way? As long as Clubs passes through unscathed you can do whatever you wish to the others and I won't stop you."

"Why would we agree to initiate something like that? Chess has survived without conflict with outsiders for millennia. If we do not need to retaliate, we do not retaliate. Our fight is ours alone as Cards is yours." This is the exact opposite of what Tino was hoping for, and it showed.

Elisaveta grinned. "So something did happen with Allistor. I may not be as old as one of you but I've been at this game longer than most. I can read people better than a book." Tino said nothing, inwardly cursing himself for letting that slip. "I told you, I want to be your ally. I have lost people as well, good people who did not deserve to die. Why won't you trust me?"

"Because we do not sacrifice our supposed friends for the sake of power." That was a lie and everyone knew it, but the knight didn't care at the moment, letting that comment get to him.

"Oh don't you? It has been a while but I do know my history. Besides, if you choose not to 'retaliate' then Allistor will return and tell the rest of Spades of the 'horrors' he witnessed in Chess and turn them against you. Hearts and Diamonds will no doubt follow, poor Matthew was such an innocent martyr after all. If you refuse I have a bit of leverage on a train that is useless to me now." Elisaveta grinned again, but this time it was different, it was sadistic and insane. So before Tino could respond Lukas ended the call with a swipe through the length of the window, dissipating it into smoke.

"Luke, I think she's right. We can take 'em."

"At the cost of lives on both sides and we'll be giving her exactly what she wants." Tino said, put off about the entire conversation. It felt like she'd win whether they allied with her or not, like a catch-22.

"So? Who cares if she's king of the mountain? She wants to ally with us remember? If we say yes, we get a new ally, new territory, and if it she decides to be a traitor about it we are still the stronger force."

"I do not want to fight Cards, Matthias. She left out key details on purpose, trying to manipulate the situation so we'll forget the things we know are fact." Lukas said, having been in the exact same situation before. "I met Yao, briefly yes, but I still met him. He wouldn't take the backdoor route to start a war, especially since they just finished one."

"That may be true but if a sailor under his command returned bearing news of what we did, that resolve will vanish." Tino said, trying to figure out a way to bypass the block she'd concocted and save this mysterious 'leverage'.

Matthias shrugged. "Then we take a few pawns and liberate Lukas' castle. They don't have to know, he could have gotten caught in a storm or something."

"She knows he made it here remember? If we do not take her offer she'll turn around and tell them what we did herself and someone will die. Either way we still have to fight them and we will still lose something whether it be people, an ally, or both."

It was different when the fight was between sworn enemies. Almost like a game of chicken that no one wanted to truly win because if they did they would be without anyone to fight anymore. When people died it felt like collateral, the outcome of a set-in-stone tradition between black and white. But when it was an outsider… suddenly those deaths mattered at it became personal. It wasn't just a game anymore but real people and real death.

"What if we just attacked Clubs?" The bishop suggested.

Lukas sighed, "I can tell you with all sincerity that I will not support a war against them, and the four of you can't win one without me. Until a full fleet is at my doorstep I am not declaring anything save neutrality. Out of everything you've said this month, Matthias, the one thing I will agree with you on is that we can handle our own, an alliance is unnecessary."

Matthias grinned, both for Lukas finally agreeing with him and for acknowledging that they were a group again. He had known from the early stages of his plan to dominate Cards that getting the knight to trust him again would be an uphill battle, and he was prepared for almost anything. Even though it wasn't over yet- it wouldn't be until all five of them were under the same banner- they were faring far better than expected. "She's expecting an answer, how long do you think she'll wait before coming up with a plan B that doesn't involve us? She has to know we're not manipulated that easily."

"If we're not involved then who cares? I said I would not fight Cards on their soil; that does not mean I will stop them from fighting each other." Lukas said lowly, taking a few glowing bottles from the shelves around the room for himself. Matthias inwardly groaned, this was the part he was worried about, he still wanted Cards for White and Lukas was very correct in saying they would not succeed without him, and even if Emil was there he'd always side with the knight.

"Wow, Luke. That's dark even coming from you."

"You seem to have forgotten that the only reason I am still here is because as soon as this is over I can devote my attention to getting Emil back."

"You seemed pretty upset when she called Matthew a martyr. I know you can care, Luke. You're not as insensitive as you were before this all started." Lukas continued going through bottle after bottle, trying to ignore him and the fact that Matthew was on the short list of people he cared about. Matthias, on the other hand, was betting everything on that connection. "Either we could take Elisaveta up on her offer and end it here, or let it simmer for the time being to see how it plays out to focus on Emil. But that allows Allistor to potentially leave and get Spades to try and attack us first."

"One step at a time, Matthias. Take too big a stride and you end up caught between the past and the future, trying to reach both at the same time."

* * *

Matthew wished he was in the hospital with Emil. The arguing was just too much, how they even heard each other over conflicting voices amazed him, it must've been years of practice.

"What makes you think I want to get involved with this again? I made it clear I was done a month ago."

"I didn't book a red-eye flight in business class to deal with this again!"

"I thought we were done? Why is he here?"

"This is your fault somehow, I know it!"

At first no one noticed him. Then everyone thought he was Canada. Then they figured it out and the conference room exploded into a fresh uproar of arguing. Matthew was sitting quietly with Liechtenstein in the corner, trying not to get involved in the screaming match. He'd already made up his mind and chosen to remain in the dark about the outcome of the war, at this point it was something to look forward to.

A single gunshot silenced everything, the only sounds were the bits of ceiling falling softly to the carpet below. "Thank you. Now if everyone would take their seats because the third time I have to ask the bullet will not be in the ceiling." It was odd how calm yet terrifying Switzerland could be, though the military rifle on his shoulder helped the image a bit. "Let's start at the beginning, shall we?"

Matthew quickly explained the circumstances of why he was there, skipping most of what happened after waking up in the Swiss countryside. It took a moment after he finished before anyone talked.

"That doesn't explain how you ended up in our dimension, though." England said, having been slightly distant since first seeing him. No one particularly cared about the tensions in his dimension, because, as they must've said at least ten times already in the past half hour- _'It's not our war'._ Which slightly angered Matthew, not that he was going to say anything.

"Can't we just push him back over like you did with the clock?" Italy asked Romania, who'd been a last minute invitation.

The strawberry blonde shrugged. "I could but the reason he's here is because of a malfunctioned spell. If I sent him back the same way I did before he'd end up in the exact same place with the same malfunctioned spell."

"What about the spell that sent us back here?" Japan suggested.

"That's the magic I reverse engineered, still no go. It's just how that one works. Who gave it to you anyway?"

"Well no. That's not true." Germany said, trying to ignore that this entire meeting was called to talk about witchcraft and wizardry. He glanced at Matthew before continuing, heeding to the ace's wishes by talking in his home language. " _The first spell was Gilbert's, which is the one Romania reversed. Lukas most likely created a different one for us_."

" _Yes but the same person performed both spells, assuming that is even what the bastard did instead of using the first one_." England said, continuing the German conversation as if he'd been speaking it his whole life.

"Dudes, I don't get this magic mumbo-jumbo but if we need a spell or whatever then here." Out of his briefcase came a small box, which he slid down the table to England. "First card in the deck."

England, puzzled, slowly opened the box and pulled out the first card, eyes widening when he realized what it was. Matthew stood, trying to see what it was.

"What is that?" Canada asked, having never seen it before.

"…It's the spell." Romania said, leaning over England's shoulder without regard to personal space.

"Wait a tic," England said, "How the hell did you of all people get your hands on that spell?"

America shrugged, "Box showed up out of nowhere- that was inside."

"You carry that around with you every day?" China asked, not entirely surprised that he would actually do such a thing.

The blonde's eyes narrowed and he looked as if he wanted to retort but changed his mind at the last second. "Some of us have promises to keep."

"Right then," England said, effectively preventing an awkward silence. "I don't know what this does and it isn't like I can test it."

"So that means…?"

"It means, Japan, that this is useless." England let the card flutter to the ground. "I want this over as much as the next Nation, and I'm sure Matthew here does too. This can't mess up again, so I'll make my own."

Half the meeting room frowned at the sound of an old office telephone ringing, realizing it was Switzerland's cell. He didn't look that surprised and answered it immediately, only exchanging a few lines before hanging up. "How long would making a spell from scratch take?"

The brit shrugged, "A few days minimum… who called?"

Switzerland adjusted his jacket and called Matthew over. "That was the hospital in Bern. Emil is in ICU after reopening his stitches among other things."

"Is he okay?" America asked, deciding he would accompany the two back to the hospital.

"I would imagine that waking up in a Swiss hospital after not knowing what a simple telephone is would make anyone 'freak out' as the nurse said. Lili would you take Matthew and get the car started?"

Liechtenstein nodded and silently led the ace outside. Switzerland watched them until they disappeared down the hall before speaking. "It's not looking up for him." He said quietly. "He was lucky to be alive when I brought him in but after this morning he's living on borrowed time."

"I keep forgetting that they're just humans in that world…" China didn't know what that felt like but he could imagine. He'd seen enough lives lost too early in his time.

"That spell, the one on the card," Switzerland gestured to the forgotten paper, "It still applies to Emil. Getting back to where he started is exactly where he needs to be. Matthew said he has a brother… he should at least be able to see him again."

America slammed his hands down on the table, "Not acceptable dude. This is the Twenty-first Century and we've brought people back from the dead with the tech we've got now. Whatever resources you need you got, k? No more people are dying from our mistake."

" _Our mistake?_ " France echoed. "America you forget that none of us asked to be there. None of this is on us."

"I'm not talkin' 'bout the war, Francy Pants. We were in Chess, we were right there and unlike them, _we can't die_. If we'd waited we could have gone and rescued Matthew ourselves then none of this would have happened."

"If we had waited we wouldn't have made it back in time-"

"Iggy you wanted to leave the second we got back."

"Because it wasn't _our_ war, America. One of these days you're going to have to learn to stay out of things that do not concern you because people die every single day." England sighed heavily, not wanting to fight over that same topic once again with the determined hero.

"But it did concern me. Emil's brother has got to be Lukas right? That guy is going to be in the dark for days then wake up to the corpse of his brother randomly appearing? I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Well some things are out of your control. It's not like I'm just going to let him die, you know. The doctors will do everything in their power but sometimes it just isn't enough."

"Whatever dude- I got some of the best doctors in the world and that _is_ under my control. I'm coming with you to the hospital." The blonde sighed, and led the way to the car.

"He never learns does he?" China said, shaking his head.

* * *

"Just hear me out?"

"No."

"Seriously? What have you got to lose?"

"Apparently my train."

Časlov groaned and slouched against his seat. "It's coming back, you know." Yao ignored him and continued staring off into the desert. "Fine I'll just start talking and just maybe what I have to say will pique your interest." He waited to see if that would garner any attention, which it didn't. "Elisaveta is out to kill me, she is the puppet master behind all of Clubs decisions since she became queen."

"You're lying." Yao said bluntly, as if he'd prepared that line before even hearing the king speak.

"Wha- what makes you think I'm lying? I stopped a damn train to tell you this so the rest of you wouldn't die."

"You just want attention. Sympathy. Ivan cast a large shadow and you want it erased so your reign is not affected by his." He said with absolute certainty.

"And what has you so convinced that you're right Mr. High-and-mighty?"

Yao leaned back against the window on the opposite side of the train car, remembrance in his eyes. "Because I did the same thing. My predecessor was… rather violent, much like Ivan in a way. I've heard we are nothing alike in personality but if you stood us next to each other one would call us siblings. I didn't want to start out with the reputation he'd created for the position so I pinned everything on someone else. They never forgave us for it." _(1)_

"…You're talking about Clubs aren't you?"

The jack nodded. "I've been around for a long time, Časlov, I've seen and partaken in a lot of history. The funny thing about history is people only acknowledge the better parts if it's their own, acting as if the bad never happened when really every decision- good or bad- makes up what a society is in the present. Spades and Clubs have hated each other since nearly the very beginning and you can believe what your books tell you or you can hear it from the only person who lived it."

"I feel like there was a point in you telling me this… but I can't figure out what it is." Časlov chuckled in embarrassment, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. Talking with Yao made him really self-conscious about his intelligence.

"The point is that people with power think they can never get enough, and their actions leave scars behind. Clubs has always had… _solid_ leaders, Elisaveta included. If you are truthful about her desire to kill you, I would not find it surprising. But as I said, even if you don't say it I know you want to make a name for yourself out from behind Ivan's shadow as I did, by placing the blame- justified or not- on someone else."

"Well I'm not lying and I guess you're right about me wanting something of my own but that's not important right now. Elisaveta _is_ out to kill me, and I know that's not her endgame. She never wanted this reunion, that's why she fought me so hard when I proposed the tournament because she knows it'll work. She's got nothing to lose anymore and after hiding in the background for all this time I think she'll go out with a bang."

In the distance a small dot of light appeared on the tracks, finally someone coming back for them. "I believe that, however coming to me about this was a mistake. Everyone knows of our kingdoms' rivalry, for me to call her out would be seen as an attack. I can help you but we cannot allow the public to know."

"So what then? I can't just wait around for her to decide I'm out of use, you know."

"We ran into the same problem with Arthur. We could not allow him to continue as queen but there is only one way out of this life."

Časlov arched his eyebrows in confusion before it clicked. "Wait you mean kill _her_? Queen Elisaveta? And how do you expect to pull that off?"

Yao shrugged standing to meet the service men coming to tug the train car along. "I am not doing anything of the sort. It's your decision to either change her perspective on the world and convince her of a better way or replace her with fresh blood."

"Why can't you help me? We're supposed to work together now, aren't we?"

Yao smirked, crossing his arms. "We all have our demons to face, how do you expect to be a great king if you cannot even keep your fellow royals in check? I will step in if and when I see fit, but this is not for me to decide." The jack gestured to the newly arrived trolley. "I will tell them the latch broke, but next time think before you kidnap someone."

Časlov hadn't done all of this to be told he was on his own. What if he missed something big and Elisaveta rolled out her plan before he even had a chance? What if he actually had to end her life if her attitude couldn't be changed? Old habits die hard, after all and he didn't want to have to end her life. There was no honor in that, no achievement. That was giving up on a lost cause and starting over hoping it would go better the second time.

Časlov curled up in his seat as the train car lurched forward, trying in vain to make an impossible decision.

* * *

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. Hmm… a terrifying Asian character that Yao hates being compared to. Who else on Earth could I add into this story?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Another Way**

 **A/N: I know I keep not following through with this, but when school starts for me there will definitely be random updates since I have two stories going at once, at least until I figure out a homework schedule.**

* * *

There was a very good reason Switzerland never got involved with others' wars. Aside from the national aspect of being a country of hired guns, the personal reason was all the emotion and strings attached. Alliance this, backstab that, dredging up old memories for blackmail then realizing it was you who was being played the whole time. Switzerland, at least on a private level, considered himself above the others in that aspect.

That didn't mean though, that he had no sympathy for those caught in the crossfire. Unless the consequences of helping them ended up hurting him. Like now, for instance. He had pulled the "VIP" card on the hospital staff to put as much effort as possible into fixing up a single patient so he could go home but he was mildly upset about it. What gave some random human from another dimension priority over his people? What made him special?

If he was capable of being moved, Switzerland would have driven across the border himself to give the responsibility to someone else. He didn't want to deal with it, he didn't need to deal with it. The others' mess was not and never would be his mess to clean up. But… he was Switzerland, home to so many medical innovations and peace-keeping organizations. As much as he wanted this out of his hands, he was involved now and would see it through to the end.

Liechtenstein did not need to see it to the end, and as such he'd made it quite clear that her involvement was over. Half of it was brotherly instinct the other half was him not wanting another Nation to trip over.

Right now, however, it would be really nice to have a level-headed person to keep him company. America hadn't gone beyond a twenty-foot radius since arriving at the hospital nor had he stopped arguing with England on the phone over the 'duties of a hero' and 'responsibility of a Nation'. There was a small part of him that agreed with America. This _was_ their fault, even if he didn't know the full story. It was just like Nations and nations to abandon something as soon as an opportunity presented itself for whatever reason they could concoct. Whether it be political image, old rivalries, or especially money, they would up and leave something whenever they could.

This whole thing with another dimension- ignoring the impossibility of it all- sounded like it wasn't just going to go away on its own. Whether it be an ocean, a desert, mountains, or the inter-dimensional-space-time-continuum, people found a way to creep their way across and screw with things they had no business screwing with.

Sure it was governed by magic now but how much longer until science figured it out? If there was a problem between his world and the next, it needed to be fixed while they could still close and lock that door behind them.

And that all boiled down to the two humans sitting in his hospital. Matthew was more observant than he gave him credit for. No, he didn't know what all the fancy technology did or what all the signs said but when Switzerland had derailed three attempts so far at seeing Emil, he began slowly putting the puzzle together.

He could see it in his expression. It was one that was drowning in hopelessness and defeat, one that just wanted to be a dead leaf coasting aimlessly in the wind. Yet mixed in with it were the remnants of a fighting spirit. He was still guarded, still overly observant, and still steadfast in his decision to remain as long as possible in the uncomfortable waiting-room chair.

Three days, England had said. Three days for a fully-functioning spell that would successfully get Matthew across the gate and in the place he belonged, or as close as possible. It was undecided whether or not Emil would accompany him back to Spades, they would send him home immediately to Chess, or wait indefinitely until he was healed.

Switzerland had heard they were putting it to a vote, and he couldn't help but shake his head. It was they who never learned. Emil was practically comatose under so many drugs, so naturally he couldn't have an opinion but his fellow Nations had decided to not include Matthew in their secret meeting. Switzerland wasn't going to rock the boat and inform the ace of what was happening while he tried to sleep on a hospital bench, it wasn't his place.

Matthew was a mortal among immortals, for all intents and purposes, and they all knew it. He just didn't want to be the one to break the news of whatever the decision was.

* * *

Feliks was paranoid. Allistor had no idea he knew what they did and he would inevitably return for the rest of his men. Yes, Feliks' pawns could easily crush three ships but that would involve crushing three ships and ending several lives. So he had to act like he had no idea what 'no more negotiations' meant and pretend to be the eccentric host he'd been so far and not question anything.

Quite a few guards were aware of his random absence to go chasing after rogue sailors and he's simply returned with a smile. _All is well, after all. Nothing to worry about, act as if nothing happened, because I am the only one who knows what happened, for better or for worse._

He wasn't worried- The Black Knight did _not_ worry- just… concerned. Yes, concerned, that was the right word.

Every shadow against the window, every shout from outside, every horse neighing softly on the roads had him concerned.

"Sir Feliks?" A guard stood awkwardly in the doorway, unsure of how to approach the man who was glancing out the window every five seconds while constantly doing anything to keep his hands busy, looking for something that wasn't there.

"What is it?" The knight continued tapping against the table with one hand and absently twirled thin blonde locks around fingers on the other.

"Sir, we have visitors."

Feliks immediately halted the ADHD behavior and his expression told the guard that was the one thing he didn't want to hear. "Who is it?"

"King Toris and Rook Raivis, Sir." It took a moment for the words to register. Feliks couldn't comprehend just why they decided to drop by for a visit at possibly the worst time imaginable.

On the speed-walk to the front doors the blonde put on the best face he could come up with: calm, collected, and pleasant. If they didn't know, they wouldn't know.

Toris and Raivis were already standing in the foyer when he made it downstairs. "Toris! Raivis! Impeccable timing as usual. What can I do for you?"

"I heard of a commotion in this area, Raivis here says you know about it." Toris looked sincere enough, trying his hardest to cover all the bases and settle a misnomer before it became a problem.

Feliks tried not to glare pointedly at the rook, forcing a look of surprise. "Well I haven't heard anything of the sort, if I had you would be the first to know about it." He hoped they didn't notice they were steadily inching toward the staircase.

"Right, that is why I saw three rather unusual ships in the harbor." Toris continued to smile, as if this whole thing was just a simple misunderstanding. Raivis, on the other hand, grinned like the little sibling who got away with everything.

"Damn, you ruined the surprise, Toris. I've had people working on new designs for a while now, those are supposed to be lighter and faster than our old ones." _That's right, up the staircase, away from prying eyes, Toris. Nothing to see here._

Feliks glanced out the window, half-expecting another false alarm courtesy of noise in the stables, but wasn't so fortunate this time. The blue coats had returned.

"You know, I, like, just commissioned some new paintings I think both of you will enjoy. They're on the top floor waiting to be hung, why don't you and Raivis have a look?" He waved a maid over to give them a personal tour and disappeared back to the front door.

"Allistor, glad you have returned." The redhead just nodded in his direction. Feliks would have to give them credit, it did not look like they just came from Slaughtertown. Their clothes were as clean as possible, there was no evidence of anything on any of the horses, and they looked completely at ease.

"I do hope the rest of the men didn't cause too much trouble."

"No, everyone has nearly blended in with the rest of the population. Did you enjoy… wherever it is that you went?" Feliks could hold his own for sure, but that didn't mean he was going to pull a Raivis and let on more than he wanted them to know.

"Actually, that is what I wanted to discuss, if you have the time." _If it means keeping you here for an extra day then yes._ Maybe it was just the circumstances but the "gentle smile" on the captain's face suddenly had a darker undertone.

"Totally, but I've been in this stuffy castle for days, why don't we go somewhere else to talk?" Allistor shrugged noncommittally, and Feliks happily began the plan of distraction for as long as possible.

* * *

When Časlov finally made it home, it was almost dawn. Understandably, he was tired and didn't want to deal with politics or politicians. Still, the choice he'd been basically forced into making was like a leech and sleep was out of the question.

Dragging himself up the stairs, he nearly jumped out of his skin when Natalya appeared almost out of nowhere. "N-Natalya." _Why do people keep doing this to me?_ She was bound to rat him out for being out so late without telling anyone.

Her expression was eerily calm, made worse by the platinum, feathery hair that glowed in the early morning light. She continued on past him as if he wasn't there, brushing up against his shoulder.

Časlov watched her drift by like a ghost, disappearing down the hall without a sound. Once she was gone he walked briskly back to his room. No matter whose control she was under the woman was downright creepy.

Only after locking the door did the king finally relax. He ran his hands tiredly down his face, wishing none of this had happened to him. A creepy-ass ace, spineless jack, and homicidal queen, what more could one ask for in life? Deciding to at least attempt sleep, Časlov flopped down on the oversized bed and stared at the wall. What was the point of Natalya doing that? He could count on one hand the number of times she'd confronted him, and only talked to him once or twice in the entire time he'd been there. His own relatives weren't that cold. Well, up until a few weeks ago, then they'd practically begged him to drop the family name so he'd have no connection to them whatsoever.

Instead of "Časlov Uzelac", one of five children of the wealthy, noble family in the eighth denomination and heir to the Uzelac estate, he was just… "Časlov", the new title meant nothing to his ex-family. The customary tradition of dropping the last name was always strange to him. Sure each and every royal gave up their old life but their name too? And why only part of it? There was probably a good reason behind it though, one he, yet again, didn't understand.

Rolling over with a sigh, he felt something in his pocket. _Oh right, I have that chocolate._ Candy always made someone feel better, especially since it was one of the few things he got to take with him from home. Instead of the foil wrapper he'd been expecting, the only thing there was a folded piece of paper.

"When did…? _Natalya_." That's why she bumped into him; to pass on whatever was on the paper. He unfolded it and read the simple words in elegant script: _Terrace on fourth floor, sunrise._ That handwriting could only belong to one person- Roderich.

Thankfully, the jack was still on the terrace despite sunrise having passed. "Are you always awake this early?"

Roderich jumped at the noise but tried to hide it by turning to face him. "Elisaveta isn't, and that's what matters." He was in a no-nonsense mood, so Časlov abandoned the light humor as well.

"What's the problem?" Roderich held out his hand, a small, clear vial rolled in his palm.

"Elisaveta. She believes I still bend to her will, so she asked this of me. I knew she liked to make others do her dirty work but… just take it."

Časlov stared down the vial, still confused as to what it was. "What is it? And why are you giving it to me?"

Roderich rolled his eyes. "I must say you have yet to prove you are actually capable of maintaining your position here. It would have been part of your morning breakfast, made to look like a complete accident." The king backed away from the unassuming glass container, now realizing what it was. "However I do not wish to live like this anymore so you can do what you want with it. If she kills me for not following through then so be it."

"Wait, wait, wait a second. Nobody's dying yet, Roddy. How long do we have before she realizes you betrayed her?"

"About ten minutes after you would normally eat breakfast. So, a few hours at best."

"A few hours? Roddy what do you expect me to do with 'a few hours at best?'"

The familiar you're-such-an-idiot face appeared. "Use it of course, before she can go around me and use it on you."

"Why do you act like I can just go poison somebody and walk away like it was nothing?" He wasn't going to just kill somebody like that, he didn't care who it was. If he took the poison, Elisaveta would die. But if he didn't, she'd likely kill Roderich for treason.

"You're the king now, we all have tough decisions to make. I'm sure Yao told you the same thing, correct?" He continued before Časlov could deny it. "I saw you leave on the train, if you wanted to be inconspicuous there were several other ways to do so. Elisaveta is bound to know where you were as well." There was no sympathy in his voice, just strict business.

"But I don't-"

"If it wasn't for me, last night would have been your last sunset, Časlov. She doesn't care about you, you're just an obstacle in her way that she can and will obliterate. That's how she's been for as long as I've known her. She deserves to feel the repercussions of her actions." Roderich took his hand and closed his fingers around the vial, as if to make sure it wasn't his to deal with anymore. "You want to be a saint? Save everyone from oppression? Then take this and put it where it belongs."

Roderich stormed off inside and Časlov looked down at the clear liquid sloshing around inside the glass. The jack had a very valid argument: She was more than willing to go through him, he should be willing to return the favor if and when necessary. But there had to be more to her story, there had to be another way. He'd found a way with the Deuces, buried under centuries of forgotten history. There was a way to avoid killing anyone else out there somewhere, there had to be.

* * *

"You've seen better days."

"I asked you to watch over Lili at the house; that should not involve me having to see you." Yes he was being cold but it was Austria he was talking to, the attitude was completely justified.

Austria made no move to get any closer to the blonde, standing just close enough to hold a conversation. "You never ask for my help, Lili is always the one that calls. And since I am standing in a hospital of all places, forgive me for being curious."

"I'd rather not forgive you for being curious because now I have to deal with another nosy representative in my borders."

The brunette scrunched his eyebrows, Mariazell bouncing slightly. "How many others are here?"

The previous plan of not telling Austria anything was promptly forgotten in the face of more opportunities to insult the man. "Ludwig, Feliciano, Romano, Arthur, Francis, Alfred, Yao, Kiku, Ivan, Matthew, and Vladimir. You weren't invited because you aren't important."

"Fine, I won't press any further. As long as it isn't a security issue I'm not concerned. I wouldn't want an extra meeting with all of them regardless." Austria knew it was important though, Switzerland never would have called him if it wasn't. Maybe Liechtenstein would tell him what was going on…

Switzerland watched Austria leave and headed down to the little chapel where the rest of the Nations had moved to last night, hoping they'd come to a consensus. One could only ward off an impatient ace for so long, after all. He'd sent Matthew off to the vending machine ten minutes ago, and it didn't surprise him that the ace was still standing there with the same amount of francs he'd had to begin with.

"Here, take these and let's go, the others should be ready by now." The blonde punched in the key for M&Ms and paid the adequate amount, leaving Matthew to stare at the brightly colored package in confusion while following closely behind.

The two walked in to find America, England, and Romania arguing quietly while the others scattered themselves throughout the tiny room in an attempt to find the supposed calmness of a chapel. Switzerland sat Matthew down next to Japan and went up to the three blondes in the back corner of the room. "Well? You've had all night to come up with something."

America sighed in exasperation, "These two think it's a good idea-"

"We don't exactly have a choice, America." England said in his old parenting voice.

"Why can't you use those spells and crap to heal the kid? Or let me guess, there are rules."

"Yes, Alfred, there are 'rules' and I won't be the one to break them. I'm doing enough as it is to get them back where they belong. Healing magic takes more energy than I would like to expend on someone I really don't care about saving."

America pointed a finger at Romania, who looked like he didn't want to be involved. "He says you can channel somebody. That means using less energy right? You just don't want to help."

"Well actually-"

"I never wanted to help." England shot back, crossing his arms defiantly. Romania gave up, having been interrupted for the tenth time, and just took a seat far, far away from them.

"There's other magic Nations out there, Artie. I know Norway can do it just fine if you want to be a dick about it. Hell, doesn't Egypt have that creepy mummy magic or something?"

"You are not dragging anyone else into this America, we've already had to explain everything over again to Switzerland and I know he doesn't want us here." England talked like the new subject of the discussion wasn't standing two feet away from them.

"So then why are you fighting so much? You don't want to involve yourself but the second I suggest someone else you get all defensive. Do you want them to just stay here then?"

"No I-"

"Then what's the problem?"

England glared. "Stop interrupting me and just maybe you'll find out."

"Why don't both of you let the person you're fighting over have a say in how you deal with him?" Matthew said, stepping up next to Switzerland. "Have you forgotten just what drives my world? Magic. I do not know any but I am capable of performing it if taught how. Then the only one paying for it is myself."

England sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's not what we're arguing over, Matthew. Besides it would take longer to teach you how to do it than to just do it myself."

"Then do so, England." America said, using his height to his advantage to look as intimidating as possible to the shorter Nation.

England opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out. He simply closed it and sighed, dropping heavily down onto one of the benches. "Fine… fine you can have it your way. Either way I need time to make a spell from scratch and if I have to add another on top of that so soon I need time to recuperate myself."

"Can someone explain to me why I am unable to speak to Emil? Or why I cannot have my part in any of these discussions?" The three Nations glanced between each other, not saying anything. He would just get upset if they told him. "Right…" Matthew nodded tersely, "You all have that 'Mightier than thou' attitude as if I am somehow lesser than you. Fine, don't tell me. I am going back to watching the box with pictures in the lobby."

"We need to get him home, at least so he can be out of our hair." Switzerland said once he was gone.

"I know." England said. "And we will, I just need time."

"So is there a real reason behind why you won't heal Emil?"

England kept his gaze glued to the ground. "If something goes wrong it might kill him. Black magic is not easily done, you can ask Russia for confirmation. Either way, Matthew is out of our dimension in three days. Whether Emil goes with him is up to his will to live."

"And, worst-case scenario, when were you planning on telling Matthew any of this?" Switzerland asked, eyes still on the foggy glass door.

"I wasn't."

* * *

"Hey Peter guess what?" Gilbert flashed into their quaint little cottage-by-the-river house and nearly crushed the younger joker underfoot with the entrance.

Peter scowled, "We have a front door for a reason you know." Nevertheless, he brushed it off, knowing chastising the albino would be a pointless waste of time. "So what?"

The elder joker held a look of confusion before realizing why he went there in the first place. "Right. So the awesome me got some very interesting news today."

"…And? Is this about the whole summoning thing? Was it jerk Arthur again?" Oh how Peter wished that guy had never figured out how to summon them. Of course they could ignore it like one could ignore a phone call. But like that old grandmother still using a rotary phone he just kept calling and calling and calling until it was more painful to ignore it than to just answer the damn thing.

Yes. That was how the Queen of Spades worked. But at least he was an easy con. Gilbert offhandedly tossed a sack of… something in Peter's direction and continued his tale of epic awesomeness in Hearts courtesy of himself. The Red Joker half paid attention, hearing something about grumpy aces, annoying jacks, and layer cake. He was instead focused on the contents of the sack so graciously dumped in his lap.

"You got candy?!" He yelled in gleeful disbelief, holding up one of the sugary sticks like it was worth more than life. Despite popular (a.k.a Arthur's) belief, the last remaining legacies of the Red and Black Dominions were not, in fact, living the high life up in the ritzy capital city of Spades or anywhere even close to that.

A con man must know how to cover all the bases. Hiding the fact that they were barely scraping by with diminishing magic reserves by self-proclaiming godhood was one way to do it. A little theatrics here, some kindergarten-level eavesdropping there, and _bam_. They became the two most notorious people in the Western Hemisphere.

Gilbert smiled, a genuine smile for once not meant to deceive. Of course he didn't let Peter see it. It hadn't been that hard to obtain the candy, Gilbert had connections. But that didn't mean it wasn't invaluable, to Peter it really was worth more than life. He'd even managed to get the only non-blue supply of that specific sweet this side of the mountains, their little red-versus-black inside joke.

Gilbert knew Peter wasn't really listening, but he kept on talking regardless. He also knew the kid was silently thankful he kept answering summons designed for the both of them alone. Peter could be a brat sometimes- okay all the time- but he did have his moments.

Like right now, for instance, when he picked out every single spaghetti-like strands of red licorice and tossed the remaining black candy to Gilbert's waiting hands. Truthfully the red tasted significantly better than the black, monumentally better. Black had an acquired taste, one not many liked but enough loved to keep it in production.

The only reason he ate it was for that little homage to how life used to be. Back when there were two sides instead of four, back when they had other people to surround themselves with that didn't die so fast. The Royals didn't count- they only saw them as a means to gain blackmail on the others.

He thought about the deals he'd made in the past few weeks. The amount of magic expensed for the sake of keeping up appearances was becoming a larger toll to pay each time. They would run dry soon, but Peter didn't need to know how soon. Because when Gilbert willingly took all summons, Peter's reserves had surpassed his tenfold. Red would finally, indefinitely, surpass Black.

As he tied the strands of grossly-flavored sweets into knots he wondered how much longer the candy would exist. Soon the dwindling population that bought it would die out and it would cease to be and red would be the only flavor left.

But that was okay right? Or maybe when Gilbert finally kicked the bucket Peter would be forced to take over both of their roles where he would follow not long after to wherever they went once their extended lives ended.

What they really needed was to find new reserves. Or at least a way to replenish the old. Despite the outside indifference they really did care about each other and wouldn't last long without the other by their side as they had been for centuries.

That Germany guy… and his talk of another world. The existence of said world was nothing new to Gilbert. He'd never crossed over but knew quite a bit about it. If all else failed he would just have to resort to the backup plan he'd devised. Well, half-devised. There were still kinks to work out here and there.

Peter stood up from the uneven wood floor and wordlessly left to the backyard, leaving Gilbert alone to contemplate the plan once more without those suspicious glances thrown his way. Maybe abandoning the kid to a life alone wasn't a good thing but ignorance of the fact was. At least for now. He hadn't even told the kid the result of the war, not that Peter really cared. He'd left that life behind long ago.

Trying not to grimace at the taste of anise from the ugly-colored candy, Gilbert glanced around their hodgepodge of a house. It was made from two types of wood with brick for the first foot and a half, all different shapes of windows cast a yellow light about the dully painted walls, and their furniture looked like they drew inspiration from Barbie playsets, minus all the pink. It was home… for now.

To be a successful con man, one had to be in the know. Gilbert's surveillance had not gone fruitless, and the results were disconcerting. The jokers existed because there were two sides in Cards- Red and Black. When it split once again, they were of no more use. With the dominion trying to reunite they wouldn't be allowed to live on the sidelines anymore and would be dragged back into that world kicking and screaming.

Gilbert couldn't have that, and he knew Peter wouldn't either. For now he would collect what they'd need, then they'd book it out of there as fast as possible. It was like hitting a pop fly in baseball. The runners had to wait at the bases and watch the ball before they could go anywhere. If it was caught, it was over, but if it dropped they sprinted for home. Gilbert wasn't leaving his home until it was absolutely certain that the ticking time bomb of Cards was successfully put back together.

* * *

 **A/N: Surprise Austria, Gilbert, and Peter for you! Three/Four chapters after this guys! If you're curious, there won't be another** **sequel** **(No Backgammon, Draughts, or Dominos for you). The most they'll get are one shots and small side stories but** **you people have to ask for them** **. But I might do a** **prequel** **with just Cards before the second split focusing on our favorite Micronation and albino in their respective roles.** **Yay or nay?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: The Little Things**

 **A/N: Sorry, not sorry about lateness and grammatical errors, this year is busy and I wanted to get this out today. The end is finally just around the bend, even if it looks like a complete mess right now. Organized chaos. Which reminds me, this is the one chapter when I won't blame you for being confused, I'm bringing this full circle now.**

* * *

"So say I like, boiled these things and made 'em into guacamole, would they still be poisonous?"

"Depends, why don't you find out? We could use a new bishop, the current one is losing its luster."

"Awww, thanks, Luke! You think I have luster! But seriously. How does one know when the poison is successfully cooked out? If they taste-test and are wrong they're dead."

"That's what servants are for, if you're that type of person. Go play with Hana, she likes you. Or plan your war with Tino." _You certainly aren't needed here._ While the queen and bishop were off gallivanting into the red dawn, the knight was the only one with a little common sense. Because, remember, he was the only sane royal in Chess.

"You just don't like that white fur all over your clothes. But fine, I'll go away… all _alone_ … with no one to talk to… _all by myself, don't wanna be, all by myself._ " _(1)_

"Not going to work this time. Now leave or I will make you leave."

"Fine…" And then he actually left. Lukas was a man on a mission, a solo mission. He, Tino, and Matthias were thinking too far into Elisaveta's offer and not realizing they could just go around her. She was smart, he'd give her credit for covering many bases, but she was human, and humans made mistakes. Tino had the resources, he just had to put them to use. Screw Cards and their problems, Chess had its own that needed resolving, most prominently the lack of one of White's royals, which he was bound and determined to fix. No more of this just sitting around waiting for something to happen. There was a human mistake, and a human solution.

Thankfully, he and Tino had a lot of similar spells, location being at the top of the list. So he watched as a white powder snaked around a map, almost alive, before scattering in random directions. Lukas frowned, the spell only did _that_ when… the target wasn't in _this_ universe. So that meant…?

It was worth a shot in the dark.

Too focused to tell either royal of what he was doing, he set up the spell for the most probable dimension, this time making sure everything was correct. It was his responsibility after all, no need for the others to get involved. If Emil wasn't coming back on his own, _big brother_ would drag him home himself. It wasn't like he was a complete necessity at the moment and Tino could figure out what happened.

Just as he was finishing preparations, an alarmed squawk came from one of many tables. Mr. Puffin, who's finally woken up from the little healing spell, courtesy of Tino, flapped like a chicken and scrambled over various tomes and bottles in an effort to get noticed. Lukas glanced at the arctic bird and rolled his eyes.

"I take it you want to come?" Well it _was_ a potentially strange land he had no clue of navigating… The bird could be like a bloodhound when he wanted to be. Mr. Puffin just cocked his head and shuffled on his webbed feet. "Fine, but I am not letting you ride on my head like Emil does. Satchel for you." He actually looked offended, or maybe Lukas was finally losing it, one of the two. Who could blame the bird really? Already inside the old leather bag was a massive book with pages torn and falling out all over the place and gems studded in the cover. With the puffin-equivalent of a sigh and a look that said 'no one is to know about this' the bird made itself comfortable for a bumpy ride.

Three minutes later, Tino's basement was once again devoid of life.

* * *

Matthew was frustrated. Aside from being treated like a child- which was _completely_ unnecessary- he hated this universe and didn't understand how anyone could stand living in it. After momentous persuasion, he currently took up residence on Switzerland's sofa, and was completely enraptured by the television set.

It was just so… he couldn't find the words to describe it. He couldn't have fathomed the sights and sounds he heard until he stood a foot in front of them. The sky rises were mind-boggling, the street lights and other brightly-lit signs and advertisements were overwhelming, and the _language_! Switzerland told him it was this thing called 'German'. The closest he could associate with the harsh consonants was Ludwig, who he remembered had the duplicate of the personification-thing he still didn't understand. Many things here he didn't and wouldn't understand, but after the day he had with Liechtenstein… Matthew wasn't sure he _wanted_ to understand.

Switzerland had to go back to hovering and had grudgingly left him under the care of Liechtenstein and Australia or something. These names were too confusing to remember, especially since there were multiple versions of them.

Despite Lili's hospitality, it still felt like house arrest. He'd woken up just after sunrise and stared out the window at the pinks, oranges, and reds painting the sky, wondering if Chess was experiencing the same light show. The possibility that _this_ was what awaited his world in another century or two somewhat terrified him, it was so… foreign, so different. What if it wasn't a good thing?

The others had woken up less than an hour later and they all walked on eggshells around each other when Lili wasn't trying to be peacekeeper. At some point during the day, Matthew had inquired about the people of his temporary home. He was stuck there after all, there wasn't a point in _not_ learning. Liechtenstein and Austria- he'd been corrected rather harshly when he'd messed up his name- alternated between minimalist descriptions of the different aspects of their society, having a hard time explaining in words the ace would understand.

Matthew still liked the TV though, and had asked about how it worked, and what it did. After twenty minutes of explaining what a _satellite_ was, he'd basically concluded that this potential future was extremely lethargic. So many options for leisure and doing absolutely nothing, it made no sense.

Then Lili had suggested that they watch something relatively universally loved by their entire dimension: Disney movies. Thankfully some were in English, mostly the older films, and Matthew was once again stunned by the idea of animation. Video was easy to grasp, magic could accomplish similar feats, but drawing pictures and making them come alive was surreal. So he picked a thick case made from this thing called 'plastic' containing a 'VCR tape' depicting a strange grey animal with a little yellow hat and utterly massive ears.

Lili had explained that the animal was apparently called an elephant and they lived in what he knew as around Backgammon and Draughts, not that it meant much to him. So they'd watched the movie, Matthew with a puzzled expression most of the time. Almost all of the references and depictions were lost on him, but some of the phrases… this was supposed to be a kid's movie. For children. The only thing going through his mind when the credits rolled was what went through the creators minds when they thought that was fit for children. _(2)_

If this was his future, he wanted none of it.

Later in the afternoon, Switzerland had returned with America in tow, though it looked as if the latter was by no means welcome in the house. "Hey! Matthew! I got somethin' to show ya!"

Matthew glanced between the three silent Nations, who didn't give him any direction, before deciding whatever it was couldn't be that bad. "What is it…?"

America just smirked, saying something in that strange language to Lili and Austria who smiled and scoffed, respectively. "Iggy says the spell will be done soon, he just has to put it together or something back home and you have to go to him if you want to get home." _(3)_

Matthew was unsure of what the blonde was waiting for, "Okay…. And? Are we going then? How many days away is he?" He couldn't be that far, he'd just seen him yesterday looking rather bushed.

America's smirk remained, along with… was that _excitement_ in his eyes? "See, because this was a national emergency, I didn't want to waste time waiting for a plane to get me here." A plane… those big metal things that took people places in the sky. "So I flew here myself in one of my jets." Matthew still wasn't following, and it was obvious. "Dude, I'm flying you to Britain in," he checked his phone, "an hour."

Wait… he was going _inside_ one of those big metal things? And _America_ was flying? What even _was_ flying? He knew falling but flying? Being suspended by nothing but air and apparently a giant metal contraption?

"Ha, ha, ha! You should see your face. You look paler than Prussia! I've been flying these babies since they were invented, and I invented them despite what Korea says. You couldn't have a better pilot than me." _(4)_

"I beg to differ Mister 'let's see if we can pull 4 Gs in a nose dive'." Austria huffed, silently taking his leave.

America was unfazed, still grinning like an idiot and adding a thumbs up to make everything better. "We'll be fine! If we leave within the hour that is… I hear there's a storm coming."

Liechtenstein and Switzerland sent him apologetic smiles, knowing it would be the last time they'd see him. Matthew tried to ignore his shaking hands as he strapped into America's rental car. _What else could happen to me at this point?_

* * *

It was so strange, watching the mages build structures faster than humanly possible. Časlov, for one, thought things like that were really cool, and was willing to waste an entire day just watching the buildings go higher and higher. This was the last one for the tournament, the last piece of the puzzle. When it was complete it was go time for kick-off and he could tell he wasn't the only one super excited to see how the people would react.

He was awesome, something he'd never admit out loud, but it was true. He had (basically) single-handedly organized this entire event and was the only Progressive thinker this side of the Ocean. Personally, he thought he deserved more recognition for coming up with this, even if Lovino had found the idea, he was the one convinced it would work.

This was one of those instances when it was time to enjoy the little things in life. Like a team of people making a piece of the wall in seconds. Hey, to someone who wasn't gifted in the supernatural arts, things like that were super cool. So, of course, his little grassy hill of happiness was shattered moments after he'd made himself comfortable.

"Hello, Časlov." He jumped about two feet in the air and totally did not scream like a little girl. People _really_ needed to stop sneaking up on him, damn it! Not that he was going to start ranting to the newcomer about that, who visibly laughed at his misfortune.

"Wha-um, E-Elisaveta…" The men down the hill were close enough to act as witnesses should anything happen right?

The queen rolled her eyes and sat down on the hill next to him, dress splayed out in every direction. Časlov, naturally, tensed and leaned away, not taking his eyes off her for a millisecond.

"You are safe for now, by the way." She talked as if they were discussing the weather, or the neighbors, not imminent death. Because of that, he leaned away even further and wished he carried around a sword like Yao did. He'd seen Elisaveta with a shiny blade once or twice as well too, but she didn't appear to have it now, as if it mattered.

That tiny stupidly-courageous part of him was calling him a weak pushover for being afraid every time she was even on the same acre as him, but it was drowned out by everything else debating how quickly he could run away. She just looked so calm, so collected, it really made it hard to read her.

He wanted to ask why she was doing this to him, to them, wanted to ask what she could gain out of it, but then yesterday's sunrise resurfaced in his mind. The entire day she had done absolutely _nothing_. Hindsight made him think the whole purpose of Roderich's warning was just to put him on edge and make him overly paranoid. Wasn't she aware of the jacks' obvious betrayal? Or did she think he was just waiting for the opportune moment?

"The new arenas look lovely, don't they? I applaud the architects for doing a phenomenal job." She leaned back with her arms supporting her and watched the people below.

Časlov stared at her, imagination running wild about all the things she could be planning right this instant. "Y-yeah, they did do a good job, didn't they? For the time crunch and all." Play along? Why not?

Elisaveta nodded slowly, shifting her position to brush a lock of stray hair behind her ear. "Tell me, Časlov, what's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of me?"

…Heh? Was he actually supposed to answer that? What even… what if he said the wrong thing? The first thing that came to mind was… "Confusion." She waved him on to elaborate, not giving away anything.

"W-well I think you're all over the place." He inwardly flinched, wasn't that one of many things a guy should never say to a girl, relationships aside? Still no reaction from the queen, so he forged onward. "I think that people have a lot of conflicting opinions about you, some good and some not… so good. I think that I haven't gotten the chance to know you myself, so I use what I can from people around me, and it gets confusing."

Then there was silence. It wasn't an awkward silence necessarily, more of a baited silence. The heat suddenly made itself known, the dragon flies' buzzing became almost like sirens, getting louder and softer as they flitted around the two, the muffled shouts of the men below suddenly became words they could hear from this far away.

"I have been at this game- and it is a game despite what people think- for a long time." She began, sitting up to absently braid a handful of that hair, completely at ease with the situation. "And I believe that not everyone understands just what it means to be one of us, and I do not mean just royals." Dotted randomly around the grassy hill were little white and yellow flowers. She picked the few she could reach and weaved them into the braid.

"Let me tell you something about me, something I think you'll find relates to yourself." She paused, considering what to say next. Časlov, being his spontaneous self, decided to interrupt her.

"Why is it that everyone feels the need to monologue to me? First Lovino, then Alfred, and Yao like three times, then Roderich, and now you. And you all say the same things too. If it's more about how I'm the fledgling king then, with all due respect, I don't want nor need to hear it."

Elisaveta actually looked rather surprised. "And you wonder why I want you gone." It was the first time she openly admitted to premeditating his theoretical death, and he couldn't help but frown. "It has been centuries since Cards lived under one banner, and I know you know the reason why. It is possible the others have simply forgotten but there has always been four suits. Even together we were never that 'well-oiled machine' of the utopian dream. Cards was born because we wanted to be different from the East, and we got our wish. But it was that free-thinking that destroyed us.

"The others confuse order with control, with tyranny and dictatorship. But when we allow the people to do whatever they want, _believe_ whatever they want… it gets out of hand. And then you end up in the same position we are in right now, with everyone just dipping their toes in to test the water."

"What makes you believe that your ideal society will work better than mine? Doesn't that saying go 'it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all'? I would rather us have this peace, for however long it lasts, than to never have it at all because we are too afraid to try."

"At what consequence? It is far easier to break something than it is to fix it. Hypothetically, if this harebrained scheme of yours actually made it off the ground, what then? We all live like one big happy family under one roof? Which of the four kings would be superior? How would you decide laws, allot resources, or even function as a government? You can't appease everyone Časlov, someone always loses, and someone always wins."

"That's what compromise is for, Elisaveta. We can work-"

"You are too naïve. But let's give you the benefit of the doubt. Let's say you jump over the first hurdle, the military. The jacks are very different people from one another, and the only thing they have in common is greed, Yao and Basch especially, even Roderich. What is to stop one from deciding one day that he wants more than the others?"

"Your solution is taking out the loose cannon, and replacing it with someone you see as the perfect fit. People like me, _free thinkers_ , are the most important part of any society. If no one disagrees then there is never any progress."

Elisaveta sighed, her frustration finally showing. "My solution is not what you think it is. The Timepiece is what connected us before, the only thing that kept all four suits entwined with each other. Now that it's gone, so is that connection. We share more differences than similarities at this point, it is best for all of us if we remain as we are, separate but equal."

"It sounds to me that you only want to keep your status, and eventually rise above the others, who won't go down without a fight."

"Did you not hear me when I said this was all a game? What do you think, is it better to be feared or loved? Both have their pros and cons, but a balance between the two is the key. Use fear to keep your enemies away, use love to make your people happy."

"How do I know that you aren't sitting here talking to me about love, while behind my back you're making plans for world domination? I know you-"

"You don't know anything." She chuckled, shaking her head. "What I want is Clubs as beautiful and prosperous as it was in its heyday. What I want is Cards to be able to contend with the rest of the world because soon we will have to."

"Then why do you want me dead? Why am I such a threat to you? How do you know we can't cooperate and make Clubs beautiful?"

"Because you don't like to make enemies. You want everyone to be happy and a powerful Clubs does not make people happy. It is nothing personal you know, when you live as long as I do, and have the experiences I do… there was a saying a while back 'the business of Clubs is business.'" _(5)_

"But it _can_ make people happy. Everyone is willing to make this work, _everyone_. Maybe we're not ready for unity, maybe we just need a little more time, but we can eventually can't we? What if we took everyone's strongest aspects, everyone's trump cards, and made them into something better? Spades has the best military, but is overly confident in its capabilities. Diamonds is stupidly wealthy, the epicenter of trade, but is too high and mighty to open its borders to anyone else. Hearts has the most open-minded government out there but trusts too easily. And Clubs? We have the bravest people ever, a closely-knit community that doesn't break easily, but we're stuck in our ways. Maybe we don't have to reunite, but how about we become allies?"

Elisaveta was silent for a while, going back to watching the progress down below. Then, "I take it back, maybe you do know something after all. I think that you are one of those people that has to see it to believe it, and I for one am curious as to how this all ends up. So there is one thing you should know before the actual tournament starts."

 _Could it be why you took precious time out of your day to come talk politics with me?_ "What is it?"

"Allistor."

 _More names! Yay!_ "Who?"

"The navy captain- _former_ navy captain. He did something in Chess and they aren't telling me what it is. If he manages to return here unscathed, Spades won't be too appeased by what he has to say. Which will involve Chess in our affairs, something I've been pining for. We need an ally in this world, and a powerful one at that. I stuck them in a rut of sorts. They've got only a few days left to decide to either ally with us against Spades, or wait for us to ally with Spades against them and no one wants that."

"W-why would you do that? Isn't Chess, like, huge? I don't want to fight them!"

"It's a flexing of power, Časlov. They need to know we're ready for anything otherwise we'll never get anywhere. They'll balk though, much like us they don't have everyone on board for one plan. If they do balk, we've got something over them."

"So you lied to their faces. What are we supposed to do if this 'Allistor' comes back?"

"I'm willing to bet a lot of chips that he did something worthy of Spades' fury, something to set them off. I still haven't heard anything of poor Matthew and I know they're getting anxious. I've tried my fair share of locator spells and even I can't find him. Whatever they did over there was drastic."

"Let me talk to them."

"Excuse me?"

"Let me talk to them. If you're over trying to kill me, if you have even a shred of optimism left, you'll let me diffuse the situation. I don't want another war, and I don't think Chess does either. We deal with Matthew later, he's not the problem right now. You showed what we can do, now they know we're not kidding around. But I don't want anyone to take anything too seriously and wind up doing something stupid. We are figuring this out _today_."

* * *

He had never been so happy for solid ground in his life. Upon landing the metal death trap, Matthew had nearly tripped down the stairs in an effort to hug the faded asphalt runway. America, of course, was laughing hysterically at his antics.

"Never. Again." Matthew threatened, still trying to calm his heart after the terrifying flight.

"Aw, come on. It wasn't that bad! You should have seen me back in '43. Now _that_ was flying."

"I distinctly remember your superiors constantly chewing you out for precisely that reason, Alfred. I would be terrified to be in the same squadron as you." England leaned casually on the hood of his car, idling quietly a few yards away.

"Dude, you flew with me that one time remember? You might've blacked out though…" Matthew grudgingly followed the crazy blond to the little Mercedes, still not used to the high speeds of modern transportation.

"That never happened. How was the last day in Switzerland?"

"No change, dude. Now floor it!" England sighed, ignoring his ex-colony and driving like a civilized member of society.

"I do wish you wouldn't fly yourself over here, it's terribly painstaking to deal with all the paperwork."

"More paperwork for you means less for me. How's progress?"

"Tedious. But finally complete. Homesick enough, Matthew?"

The ace didn't even dignify that with a response, choosing instead to watch the cars blur by on the opposite side of the road. He wouldn't get excited until after the fat lady sang this time. It wasn't a terribly long drive from the private air strip to England's house but Matthew really wasn't paying attention. Something just felt different, like a weight was lifted off his shoulders he didn't realize he'd been holding up all this time. He didn't know what it was, but it felt so serene he wasn't going to start questioning things.

The door to England's basement was solid mahogany and clearly aged, but unlike Lukas' it didn't give off a sense of foreboding, merely an innocent bystander watching life go by. He watched the finishing touches in a daze, mostly thinking about how he was blatantly leaving Emil behind and didn't even know why. Alfred had always said he cared too much about the little things, that he spent so much time hung up on something that hardly mattered.

These people were hundreds of years old and had technology beyond his imagination's imagination. The rook couldn't have landed anywhere safer, despite the injuries sustained there. England's spell echoed dully in the background as he stared blankly at a chip in one of the bricks across the room. One of the little things he'd noticed, and wondered off handedly how that chip came to be.

As the room flashed a soft, white light, Matthew knew that this time the little things that had sent him here in the first place were taken care of, and that this time he would actually make it home.

* * *

 **A/N: When I said you people have to ask for one-shots, I was kind of implying that you'd give me some semblance of plot for** **anything** **in this AU within rating (and, like, no romance). Now is the time to ask questions! What are you confused about? What haven't I explained enough? Who am I leaving out, or why are characters saying certain things? If I don't know what confuses people I can't fix it!**

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. I've only ever heard that song sung by a guy named Eric Carmen in 1975, but apparently Canadian singer Celine Dion's version is more popular.**

 **2\. Disney's** ** _Dumbo_** **(1941). Which is incredibly racist and full of bad language and would never be rated G if it was made today. Go censorship!**

 **3\. I think I mentioned before that I run by the headcanon that all the Nations speak as many languages as possible, especially culturally diverse ones like America.**

 **4\. The Wright Brothers (Americans) are credited with the invention of the modern airplane (I think Germans get zeppelins –blimps-).**

 **5\. "Separate but equal" aka the bane of our existence. Up until the 60s that saying was incredibly ambiguous when it came to race, and the war ended an entire century earlier. Original quote "The business of America is business." From the… 1910s? When big business and capitalism were at their peak.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: A Line in the Sand**

 **A/N: Senior year is stupidly demanding (Didn't think I actually _abandoned_ this did'ya?). Don't expect the next chapter any time soon after this. Also  language warning again.**

* * *

"Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"… Ninety-six percent, yeah. There wasn't exactly a sign saying 'Welcome to Carthage' or anything on the road. We're close to the coast though, I can smell the ocean from here."

"Ninety-six isn't good enough, Nik. You were ninety-six last time and we were apparently in the wrong district entirely."

"Excuse me, it's not my fault all the cities down here look exactly the same!" Two men, one of short stature with raven hair and the other annoyingly taller with sunny blond hair, stood out like a cloud in a clear sky somewhere in the south side of Carthage.

"The city itself might but I didn't think they made people this big in the North."

"They do. They're called bears. And they don't take kindly to people insulting them so shut up!" 'Nik' received a slap upside the head.

"Well you didn't have to hit me, Jan. Besides," he leaned in close to whisper dramatically, "We've both got loaded weapons if thing go south."

'Jan' glared. "It's called a whisper for a reason. Someone on the other side of the street should not have heard you. If anything that made you more conspicuous. If we get mugged I blame you."

"Aww, is that any way to talk to your injured brother?" Nik pouted and cradled his no-longer-injured shoulder. Jan just shoved past him and readjusted the weight of their bags that Nik outright refused to carry himself.

"Let's just keep going. We're bound to reach the nice part of the city eventually, then we can ask for directions. It can't be that hard to find the only royal with a pink pony fetish."

"I think it's a pink _and_ pony fetish. Pink ponies don't exist."

"Carry your own crap, Nik." Jan dumped half the weight on his unsuspecting brother and continued on without missing a beat. They had been walking through the slums all morning, either way they needed to pick up the pace. People were starting to stare at their toothpick-esque physiques.

"Wait, Jan! You can't just leave- Janez!"

"Goodbye, Nikolas. See you on the other side."

* * *

Even though England had gone home to do whatever it is he did in his basement, several others had stayed behind in Bern in case something happened- no one wanted to fly home just to come right back.

Canada, China, France, and Italy had stayed back at the hospital to do damage control should Emil flip out again or if anything… else happened. The rest had gone to book cheap hotel rooms for the night, finding plastic hospital chairs and hardwood pews to be rather uncomfortable. China and France were people watching while Canada and Italy threw candy at each other and tried catching it with their mouths out of sheer boredom.

"Feliciano I believe it's your turn to check up on the patient." France sighed, watching a nurse scurry by.

"Ve~ okay!" Italy skipped off down the hall without complaint, much to the envy of the others. How could he be so damn energetic when the rest of them were barely keeping their eyes open? None of the nurses paid much attention to the oddly happy brunette and just kept on with their business, which Italy wasn't complaining about.

Since Emil was practically comatose, he didn't expect anyone else to be in the room, much less someone who wasn't a nurse.

"Oh! Mr. Norway, I didn't know you were here."

"You people have a massive problem with assuming things, you'd think with lives as strange as yours you'd be able to tell the difference between two very different people, identical or not."

"Ah, so you're from the other world? Cool! I never got to meet you, my name is Italy Veneziano." The bubbly brunette never lost his smile, even when faced with the following awkward silence after introducing himself.

Lukas just blinked and turned back to the hospital bed. "I was hoping you were a nurse and could explain all… whatever this is."

Italy actually giggled, ignoring the other's deadpan expression. "I don't have to be a nurse to tell you that." He promptly gave the fastest and most confusing rendition of the past several days in under a minute.

"I meant all of the equipment hooked up to my brother."

"Oh. Well-"

"Look, Italy, was it?" Lukas sighed heavily, "Imagine there's a massive line in the sand, so long you can't see to either end. On one side is your world, on the other is ours. The line exists as a barrier, one you shouldn't cross no matter what. I couldn't care less about what happened to him over here, nor about the many confusing things I've seen myself, I just want to bring my only family back across that line without anyone else trying to stop me with or without Matthew in tow because he obviously isn't here right now."

"But… if it's in the sand, can't I just kick it away? Maybe you should build a wall like Mr. China did."

"… A line in bedrock then. The point is that you and your people never should have set foot in our world, it knocked down too many dominoes that the rest of us are still trying to fix. Just as we should never come over here because things like _this_ happen. You have your side, we have ours. And who knows? If there's already one copy of the same world, there's probably more."

"Ve~ That would be so cool! What if it's a world made of cats? I like cats. And instead of being made up of a bunch of old games we could be cats too! Do you think I would make a cute kitty? Matthew would! He'd be all fluffy and did you know he left yesterday? Mr. England said it went perfectly! Do you think he would have made a cute kitty?"

"Adorable. I meant more volatile worlds, more so than ours. I still don't understand exactly what you and your companions are but if there was another world, one even worse than ours, I would not want to stand in its way." _(1)_

"Grandpa Rome always said people never got anywhere by just sitting around and doing nothing. And then he became the most powerful empire my world has ever known." Italy's aloof smile finally faded in remembrance, "I think that if we had met in a different way, you would like us more. My friends are always fighting with each other, always saying things they regret later, but they still make up in the end, _si_? Even if it takes a century or two."

Lukas decided Italy was officially the strangest person he'd ever met, which wasn't necessarily a terrible thing. Behind all the veritable nonsense he sprouted probably every second of the day there was actually intelligence, which took incredible skill to hide. He didn't know then, if Italy was still talking about the same people.

"If you really have to go though, I guess I can't change your mind." Italy smiled then left the room, closing the door tight behind him.

* * *

It could have been five minutes, or it could have been five hundred, Matthew didn't know, or care. The clouds had been drifting by at the same, slow pace, the wind occasionally rustled the leaves in the trees, and that was about it. Nothing else really mattered at the moment but those trees and those clouds.

Those clouds were rain clouds, and with them they brought the familiar metallic smell of a tropical storm. Those trees were Cyprus trees. And Cyprus trees grew in the swampy marshes along the eastern border of home.

It just hadn't registered yet. That must've been it. Because instead of jumping for joy and shedding tears of happiness, Matthew was content to just stare up at the sky exactly where he'd woken up.

He didn't really know what to do, in reality. If he was where he thought he was, then it was just a straight shot west and he'd hit civilization. But… even with all of the times he could have simply asked for information on what happened… he still had no idea. Either way, he would travel west, but what to expect when he got there?

There was nothing in his way anymore. No Chess- and this was home this time, there was no doubt about it- to want to kidnap him again, no Nations to belittle him again, and no goddamn elderberries anywhere on the continent as far as he was concerned. It almost too easy. Like this was the final test and the answer was written in the question.

Or maybe… maybe this was finally the dawn he'd been waiting for. Maybe there was no test anymore. Matthew turned his head toward the rising sun in the east and decided to finally, _finally_ go home. One step, then another, and another.

The rain never came, but there was that tension in the air that at any second the clouds would burst, and with each distant lightning strike or roll of thunder that tension worsened. Matthew's pace, however, remained the same. So what if it rained? A little rain never hurt anyone, if anything he wanted it to finally downpour, then it would really feel like home.

The marshes had faded into pine trees hours ago, and he couldn't see very much of the sky through the dense canopy, but he kept looking up anyway. There had been enough trekking through forest as it was, the only difference was the weather.

 _Crunch, crunch, crunch_ … He wasn't sneaking up on anything in a five mile radius and that little thought made him smile. It reminded him of the wheels on the cart so many weeks ago, they creaked and groaned over every root and every stone they came across. At some times it seemed it was actually seeking those things out just to annoy him. A cart would be kind of nice now, walking was growing tiresome.

 _Crunch, crunch, crack!_ Matthew froze and frowned at the offending object he'd stepped on. It wasn't a root, too clean cut of a sound, almost like glass. There, half buried in the sandy dirt and patterned in a patchwork of chipping paint, was a small porcelain doll.

 _Sure. Why not? There's just a doll out in the middle of the forest. Maybe I'm finally going insane now…_ Matthew knelt down and slowly dug around the doll brushing off the dirt on the surface of the doll's dress. Pieces of the head, which was what he'd stepped on, fell to the ground, creating a rather morbid sight. It would have made a rather beautiful doll when it was made, he noted, still trying to clean the faded red fabric of the doll's dress.

 _Hm, red fabric in Spades? That's hard to come by._ Beneath the dirt and grime he could distinguish small black patterns adorning the many folds of fabric. Little suit symbols, he realized, that's what they were. Deciding he might be able to fix the doll and clean it up, he picked up the porcelain shards and stuffed the entire doll in the pocket of his jacket.

The familiarity provided comfort, he decided, and kept on walking with one hand in the pocket fiddling with the shards.

Pine trees faded into low shrubbery and yellowed grass leading to a low field guarded by a single farmhouse. Despite the impending weather, there were two people working the field, and had yet to notice Matthew's approach.

Those people were wearing blue- faded blue- but still blue. There was only one kingdom on earth that wore blue. England actually did it, he was really actually home this time. It really wasn't some crazy farce like what happened in Switzerland. Those were _real_ Spades citizens, on a _real_ Spades farm, in _real_ Spades territory.

Matthew wanted to cry out of sheer relief and happiness. Instead he sprinted faster than he'd ever ran before straight at the unknowing farmers. Who cared if he looked like a madman, which he probably very much resembled? He wasn't going to wait any longer and give anyone or thing else a chance to screw this up.

"Hey! Excuse me!" The farmers- a man and a younger woman- looked up from their work and stared, wide-eyed, at the rapidly approaching blond. He could tell they were confused, and maybe a bit frightened, he would be too if a strange man came running out of the forest screaming at people he didn't know. Matthew stopped at the fence surrounding the field, trying to catch his breath. "Can you tell me where I am?"

The farmers exchanged a glance and the man finally made his way over, albeit warily. "I'm sorry, but who-"

"Matthew! My name is Matthew, and I've been your ace for almost fifty years now." Sure, he didn't get out much, but Alfred did, and they shared the same famous face.

The man gasped. "Dear ante, I apologize! I didn't recognize you from back there. What are you doing all the way out here in the bush?"

Recognition! It'd been too long since he'd talked to someone that didn't look down on him. "It is a very, very long story and I would like to get back home."

"Of course, sir. I'll send for the MPs immediately. Would you care for any refreshments? Again, I sincerely apologize for not realizing who you were earlier, one does not expect someone like you to appear all the way out here."

Matthew shook his head, inwardly giddy with unbridled joy. "It's okay, I understand. That will not be necessary, thank you for the offer. I just wish to go home."

The man sent the woman to go alert the MPs while Matthew waited on cloud nine. When they came, Matthew ignored almost all of their questions and simply requested the fastest possible route to the capital.

Despite the exhaustion both mentally and physically, he kept his gaze out the window of the carriage the entire time, just staring at the familiar land slowly passing by. He was finally home.

* * *

"This is a terrible idea and I hate myself for letting you talk me into it."

"Shhh, everything will go perfectly. We just walk up those steps, ask for Feliks, and explain everything."

"Yes, and possibly initiate another war while we're at it. Great plan, Nikolas."

"If you didn't believe it would work, you wouldn't have let me get this far." Nikolas said, peering out from behind a wall at the looming castle crawling with guards. "You just have to believe for a little bit longer."

* * *

 _Stall Allistor_ , they said. _It won't be that hard_ , they said. Che, yeah right. Feliks must've gone through every single square inch of his property with Toris and Raivis while simultaneously tripping over his own feet to make sure Allistor didn't up and leave back home because he would throw the entirety of Chess on the tracks and then they'd really be fucked.

"Allistor! There you are, I've been looking all over for you!" Feliks said with exhausted cheerfulness.

"Feliks you've been stalling long enough." The ginger deadpanned, tapping his foot impatiently on the ground.

The knight sighed, "Okay like, on one hand I'm like really relieved because keeping you busy is totally exhausting but on the other I'm like totally freaking out because you _knew_? For how long?"

"Long enough. As much as I enjoy your tapestries this is getting old. We are leaving, today." Allistor turned to leave but Feliks' pawns blocked the doorway.

"Like, okay." Feliks started, "You're not going anywhere. I've been running myself ragged trying to keep you in check and be nice at the same time so when you finally returned home at the very least you would hate White more than Black but now I like, really don't give a flying fuck.

"If you go home and blab your mouth to Spades we're screwed and if I kill you we're still screwed. The only reason I haven't killed you yet is because I don't want to waste the ammunition. So sit your ass down in one place for more than five minutes so I can stop running around like a chicken with its head cut off and get some peace." Feliks was breathing hard by the end of his rant and was one wrong word away from just ending it all.

"…Feliks?" Toris stood wide-eyed in the hallway, with Raivis just a few feet behind. "What was all that about?"

"Oh that's fantastic! Impeccable timing, Toris. Really. I did all that work and now let's just throw in the towel. Toris meet Allistor, Allistor meet Toris. Ally here and his band of merry pirates showed up a month ago with people from a kingdom I seriously couldn't care less about and totally demanded that I pay for something I had nothing to do with so to keep the peace I had to take them halfway across my territory to the one royal that only has one expression and have him deal with it and now I somehow owe _Lukas_ a favor.

"This guy Matthew gets kidnapped by Matthias because the bishop wants to make a power play against the same kingdom this entire continent couldn't care less about a month and a half ago. So I get roped into rescuing him and somehow out of all ten of us I actually ally with my parallel on the chessboard against both of our sides because getting anyone else involved would screw everything up. On top of all that I have to hide from _this_ little bastard," Feliks pointed an accusing finger at Raivis, "because he was getting all up in my business like a damn child. I finally get some rest then lo and behold _this_ little bastard," Here, he jabbed a finger at Allistor, "Decided to come and wreak havoc across Lukas' territory because Matthew never made it home. So I, because I'm his damn ally, had to chase after them and what do I find when I get there? He fucking murdered the entire castle! So I race back here with orders from Lukas who went AWOL and left me for dead to keep Allistor busy while he thought of something. Then you show up because Raivis can't leave well enough alone and when the check did I start taking orders from Raivis, Lukas, or the navy captain?" He was practically foaming at the mouth by the time he was done, face red with exertion.

"Damn that felt good to finally get out of my system." Feliks sat on the marble floor just so he could catch his breath. A guard appeared from the opposite hallway and hesitantly cleared his throat. "Unless Carthage is burning to the ground I _do not care_." Feliks' voice was almost too calm now. The guard took the hint and scrambled off to deal with whatever it was himself.

"Allistor, is this true?" Toris asked, glancing between the blond on the ground and the ginger by the door.

"They deserve what they got. You haven't seen this from our perspective, have you?" Allistor said lowly, not batting an eye at the death glare Feliks gave him. "You people are the reason we even had a war to bring us here in the first place. You can't keep all of your loose ends tied and it's because of that, that I am even standing here now. If you could, my cousin never would have known about you. If he'd never known about you he never would have died. If he had known I never would have come here with our ace. If you could keep all your loose ends in check, Matthew never would have been put in harm's way and he wouldn't be missing now. I meant it when I said no more negotiations. You aren't the only power in the world anymore, and you can't expect to remain one if our civil war can affect you so much. Whether you want it or not we're stuck with each other now." He assured.

"Sir, they're rather insistent." The same guard from earlier reentered the room reluctantly. "They say they know someone by the name of Matthew, and that you would know what that means."

Feliks stood and glanced at Allistor, clearly not finished with the argument but willing to put it aside for the moment. "Let them in then."

Two guards chauffeured in two lanky kids who completely ignored the tension in the room. "I swear to all things pink and sparkly if this is, like, a hoax you two will not leave this castle alive." Feliks threatened.

"You certainly live up to your reputation then," the kid on the left with raven hair said, complexion paling. His companion elbowed him to continue, "We uh, were a part of the team that took Matthew, under the bishop's orders."

"Well if you're here to confess you're talking to the wrong knight." Feliks' monotone remained consistent, though now he looked more bored than anything else. "So what are you really doing here? Assuming that I actually believe you."

The blond on the right spoke up, "We wanted to help."

"Help with what?"

"Well, it's kinda our fault that he's here right now and we want to make up for the role we played in all of this by any means necessary. And we heard you yelling from the courtyard so… you could really use the help." The raven said.

Feliks _tsked_ and crossed his arms, "Alright how about this: Ally, you collect all your men and get your ass off my continent. Take these two with you so your king doesn't do something he regrets. If I don't hear from both of them within a month I'll personally sail over there myself and you like, do not want that. Because then I'll have all ten of us on my side. Quick and simple right? You get to go home, I get some peace and quiet, no one loses anymore heads, and I have insurance that you'll do as I say and then we're all back to where we started before this mess- Cards on one side of the Ocean, and Chess on the other. As it should be."

No one moved, afraid they'd set something off again in the blond, "Get moving before I change my mind, Ally, I'm officially calling us even."

* * *

"I'm nervous, should I be nervous?"

"Depends, do you want them to take you seriously?"

"Yes!"

"Then no."

"But-"

"Three, two…" Časlov stood in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror in a former ballroom, now Elisaveta's magic room, where the latter stood off to the side, leaning against a column with a smug look on her face. The mirror rippled and Časlov's reflection slowly melted into a foreign landscape that looked like a heavily flowered courtyard. It looked like a still image, save for the fluffy white dog staring up at him with her tongue hanging out.

"Uh…"

"Who in check are you?" A rather feminine voice called out. A short, blond figure appeared in the window, and the dog ran up to him, _Yes, him, you idiot_ , with a yip.

Časlov glanced at Elisaveta shaking her head with a sigh, "I- um, Časlov. I'm from Cards." _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"Yes, I can see that. You have Clubs written all over you. But that does not tell me who you are." The man took a step back, guarded expression becoming more evident.

"Look, I-uh, know you probably don't want to talk to me but we need to clear some things up so-"

"Chess does not owe Cards anything, Mr. Časlov. Much less the option of negotiation." The man quipped, picking up the dog and holding it much like one would hold a baby. Somehow that didn't make his remark any less threatening.

Časlov frowned, "Wait a minute, you don't even know what I was going to say!"

The man laughed, "I think we heard enough from the last person that contacted us, and your answer is: Be my guest. If you want to foolishly attack an empire twice your size I will not dissuade you."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up a sec." Časlov held up his hands, making the man take another step back. "Look, we've had some _problems_ with our leaders lately but we got everything sorted out and we don't want to attack you Mr.…"

"White Queen. And you are…?" He said, making it clear that he wouldn't be revealing his name any time soon. The man began scratching the dog behind the ears, and didn't even flinch when the dog licked the side of his face. _Why is that so intimidating?_

"Č- King of Clubs," The man arched an eyebrow, "Er, fledgling King of Clubs."

"Well, Mr. Časlov, you can tell Elisaveta exactly what I just told you." The blond moved to swipe through the window, which would end the conversation.

"Wait!" He stopped, and waved his free hand in a clear, ' _go on_ ' message. "Why can't we just forgive each other and move on? From what I understand, one of our people dragged you into our war, which was wrong. So then you guys kidnap a different guy, which makes us even. Elisaveta did what she thought was right but I think we just need to talk things out, alright?"

"I am going to assume you are trying to propose an alliance of sorts, or a peace treaty at the very least." Said the man, "I respect your efforts, but that decision is not up to me and even if it was, I cannot say I would support it."

"Well then what can I do to convince you?" Finally, an expression other than 'intimidating' surfaced- mild surprise. "I've got a lot on my plate over here, and I don't want to fumble through a war with Chess of all people. And even if you probably could crush us I don't think you want to either so why can't both of us agree to just be bygones? When our guy gets back home I can assure you that no one will be declaring war on anyone over here. At the very least, can we hate each other on our own continents?"

"There are ten different royals in Chess, and while we all have sides, all of us rarely agree on anything. I cannot say anything for certain when I do not know what the others are doing, especially Feliks. On top of that, the one royal who actively wants vengeance is not here at the moment."

"So what does that mean for us? You guys _are_ a team right? If you weren't, Chess wouldn't be where it is today. No one _really_ wants to fight, I don't think it'll be that hard to convince the other White royals to just let it go like we are. Then hopefully when our captain returns we can make peace with Black as well. And when we screw up again in the future, _then_ we can hash it out. But this is just one big misunderstanding, yeah?"

The blond was silent for a while, still petting the dog absently, "Alright, Mr. Časlov, you have successfully weaseled yourself out of a very nasty confrontation. I cannot speak for Black, however."

"Wait, seriously?"

He rolled his eyes, "Yes, seriously." Časlov broke into a massive grin, "If you decide to cross us though," The grin shattered, and the man's stony expression returned, "Chess is still an empire under the same banner, and neither faction particularly cares for unwanted outsiders."

"Understood. Trust me, this'll work." The man swiped through the mirror and his image disappeared. Časlov let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding.

"Well, you managed to play your hand just good enough to actually accomplish something." Elisaveta noted, "But now if your plan fails they have even more of a reason to attack us."

Časlov shook his head, grin returning, "No, I really think we've got it this time. All we need is for Allistor to come back and then this is all just one bad memory."

* * *

 **A/N: The real reunion is next chapter, in which it will have fluff galore. It was a literal tossup between Italy and France for who got that scene in the hospital, I love writing compassionate France, but intelligent Italy even more. Still not sick of my card game references? You suckers…**

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. Nekotalia and 2P!talia. Hey, if Cardverse can exist, all the other versions can too. Imagine 2P! Nyo characters that are all cats, and are all royals in Cardverse. That would be a crazy yet really cool idea.**

 **Fun fact! The 'south side' of any city in the northern hemisphere is usually grungier than the northern part because during the Industrial Revolutions in America and Europe, all the winds blew the smoke and bad air south of the factories, the rich didn't want to live there and workers had to go somewhere, so it kinda stayed that way even today.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Homecoming**

 **A/N: Happy Holihanakwanzmas! It has been… dear gods, too long. Um, sorry about that. I got caught up in a few original stories, corporate ladder climbing, and other deadlines. Anyway, now that I'm on break again, the final chapter and a half should be up before/on January 7** **th** **. This definitely won't have such a climactic ending as RF did, but hopefully I'll do it justice. Disappointed? Too bad!**

* * *

Matthew would be the last to tell anyone that he had hoped for a better reception from his own kingdom. Not like, parade down Main Street with fireworks and confetti canons but maybe just a few people noticing him. Or one. Just one person. Was that too much to ask for? For whatever reason the entire capital city was virtually empty. Almost all of the shops were closed, window shutters locked up tight, and vendor stalls vacated. If it wasn't for the lack of death and destruction, Matthew would have assumed the entire city was a victim of the war.

Finally letting curiosity get the better of him, Matthew knocked on the sliding window separating him from the carriage driver. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, sir? Is there a problem?"

"Do you know where everyone is? I haven't seen the city this empty before."

"Most of the residents have made arrangements to travel south, sir."

 _South?_ Matthew frowned, "Did something happen?"

"The competition, sir. It's not every day we open our borders to Clubs for recreation, almost the entire city has made it down by now. Kingdom-wide holiday. The only ones left are a few palace guards and the royal family. They will be leaving shortly, I believe."

"Wha-competition? What does Clubs-"

"I'm sorry, sir, a lot has happened in your absence. I should let your brother explain, he can do it better than myself." Something in the man's voice told him 'a lot' was a vast understatement, but that was quickly forgotten at the mention of Alfred. He was only a block away from seeing his family again. One, single block.

Alfred would probably do a flying tackle hug and get all emotional. Yao would be standing off to the side with Arthur, both with small smiles, until Alfred would drag them into a massive group hug. And Matthew would get all emotional too and it would be one big sob fest in the courtyard while a few guards would stand by awkwardly…

"We've arrived, sir. Would you like me to accompany you inside?" Matthew was shaken from his thoughts and gazed out the window at the cobalt and periwinkle castle, the afternoon sun catching the stained glass windows just right to make kaleidoscope reflections on the pale, cornflower granite steps. Screw Chess' architecture. It takes a special kind of person to put that much of one color into a building and still make it look awesome.

"No… I would prefer to go in alone."

The driver nodded, "Of course sir. I believe Alfred is still in the common room with Yao."

Matthew stepped out of the carriage and waved off the helping hand of the driver. "Thank you…"

"Samuel." The man offered, tipping his hat.

"Thank you, Samuel. You should head south with the others, you've certainly earned a holiday or two."

Samuel's river-green eyes widened in surprise, "Thank you, sir. I greatly appreciate the offer."

Matthew smiled again then made his way up the steps and let himself inside. His shoes clicked softly on the marble floors, echoing around the large entry way. The lone maid making her rounds nearly dropped her supplies at the sight of him.

He just smiled and held up a finger in a shushing manner. She watched him disappear down the hall, the grin never leaving his face. The Ace stopped in front of the double doors to the common room, hearing the muffled voices of Alfred and Yao arguing over something on the other side. He nearly laughed at the déjà vu of it all.

The last time he was in this position seemed like years ago. Alfred and Yao were arguing over a trivial matter, and Matthew was panting from running, trying to find them. _There and back again_.

The Ace pushed open the heavy door and all conversation ceased. He saw Alfred, a rather put-off expression on his face, less than a foot away from Yao who looked almost smug, with his arms crossed over his chest. Nothing else mattered at the moment, the redhead in the corner didn't even register in his mind's eye.

"…Mattie?"

"…Hey, Al-" Matthew got cutoff by that bear hug he'd been waiting for, not wasting a second before throwing his arms around his brother, who had gotten slightly taller than him, he noticed. Or maybe he had always had that extra half-inch, showed how often Matthew had been that close to the younger blond.

Alfred's body shuddered with a sob, "You're home, Mattie. I can't believe it!" Alfred pulled away, allowing Matthew's feet to touch the floor again.

"Yeah, I'm finally home…" Matthew's voice was on autopilot, mind overcome with the realization that he was really, actually, physically there with his only remaining family wiping his eyes underneath his glasses frames.

"Yao, get your ass over here. Group hug time."

The King grabbed Yao's wrist and dragged him over to the long lost Ace. Yao didn't protest, like he normally would, but didn't hide his displeasure at the closeness.

"Where's-" And that's when Matthew noticed the redhead in the corner, shifting her weight from foot to foot, "...Lisa?"

Alfred and Yao both tensed and the former released them from the hug, "You too, Lisa. Come on over here and welcome Mattie home." Alfred said quietly, eyes never leaving Matthew's face.

Matthew hadn't seen Lisa since she was significantly younger, the only time all of Arthur's living family had come together under one roof. She definitely looked different without missing those two front teeth.

"What are you doing here? I mean, it's good to see you and you've grown but-"

"Mattie." Alfred's tone made him freeze. He looked over at his brother, and saw the myriad of emotions flicker across those eyes, pain at the forefront. The Ace glanced between the three of them, refusing to acknowledge the possibility. "There's something we need to tell you."

* * *

The headstone was simple yet elegant. It had a name, title, date of birth, date of death, and nothing more. Matthew supposed it didn't need to say any more, anything that could be said would be represented by the kingdom itself. Fresh roses, all a spectacular scarlet, decorated the surrounding ground, each placed with care so as not to block any numbers or appear overcrowded. The man had always said roses were his favorite flower; simple, yet elegant.

 _Arthur  
Queen of Spades  
1609-1932_

"You know…." Matthew started, glancing to his brother who walked through the other headstones a little ways away to give him some privacy, then at Yao who stood at the entrance, taking to Lisa, "When I was over there, in Chess, I mean, I kept coming up with scenario after scenario about the war and how it ended. Rather morbid, actually, the ways I imagined all of you could die and leave me alone to represent a fallen kingdom.

"But, I never imagined something like this. You…." Matthew glanced away, at the waves breaking softly against the sand, the puffy white clouds moving in to replace the grey, the single red rose in his hand. "I can understand why you did it, Arthur. I don't think you expected the turmoil it ended up causing, or maybe you did and thought it was worth it in the end, I don't know." Matthew realized he was starting to ramble and closed his mouth, thinking of the best way to summarize how he felt.

"You died a hero, Arthur. I don't know if the legacy you left is what you intended but Spades will definitely…. eventually…. be better off with it. I mean, jeez Arthur, because of you we're on speaking terms with Clubs. Yeah, Francis hates us now, but Lili… Alfred told me about her speech. And Lovino!" Matthew chuckled but it quickly sputtered out, "Three steps forward, one step back, eh? We win some, we lose some. But this time, I think we won a little more."

Matthew gently set the rose in the soft grass growing in, giving one last small smile to the headstone before he called to Alfred so they could return home. He'd said all he needed to say. Arthur never was one for emotional goodbyes. Simple yet elegant.

* * *

"You know, out of all four Aces, Lovino somehow seems like the obvious one to come up with this, in retrospect." Matthew sat between Alfred and Lisa half paying attention to the game down below, he didn't even know the score.

"Yeah, I thought the same thing." Alfred laughed, "But then the new king of Clubs shows up at my door, totally winging a sales pitch for it, and expects me to just agree to it. I'm surprised this thing ever actually got off the ground." Feliciano joined in laughing this time, while his nephew tried to hide his tomato-red face.

"I'm getting another drink, Al, do you want anything?" Between breaths the blond shook his head and Matthew easily slipped out of the room, wanting a break from the chaos. _Funny, after all this time wanting to be back, all I want now is some peace and quiet._

The tournament was certainly a nice idea, but it wouldn't have been his first choice in how to bring the kingdoms back together. It was nice, don't get him wrong, but after spending time in Chess it felt like a false sense of security. What if the people thought the conflict was over, and then something happened? Their morale would crumble to dust.

But maybe that was just the pessimist inside talking. The reality was, that for now, there was peace. He'd been all caught up on the goings on since the 'Queen's War' ended and his head spun with all the chaos and new knowledge. He'd gotten the chance to formally introduce himself to Časlov and they'd reached an understanding. Matthew still thought he was a hopeless, naïve optimist, but there was always room for one in the world.

"One would think that after being away for so long they would want to surround themselves with the familiarities of home."

Matthew turned and frowned, "Kiku?" Seldom was a conversation held between the two. He'd sooner expect Natalya to ask him to dance than for the Introvert Queen to seek him out. "It is a bit of a shell-shock, honestly. Seeing all sixteen of us under one roof, even if I had not been gone for months, would still be hard to believe."

The petite raven kept a respectful distance, but stood close enough to talk just loud enough to be heard. "It is definitely a sight we should not take advantage of." Kiku agreed. It was a bit of an awkward silence, the raven appearing to want to say something but deciding against it. Finally though, he worked up the courage. "Now that you have returned," He began, choosing each word carefully, "What are you going to do now?"

Matthew wanted to say he'd get back to work, that he'd resume his duties as if nothing happened. Life goes on, after all. But something in the way Kiku said it made him really consider his answer. "I want to pick up where Arthur left off. He wanted to reunite the kingdoms and while I know it can't be done in a day, it can be started in one."

Kiku nodded, accepting the answer, "I can agree with that." They stood in comfortable silence, listening to the crowds down below, "We should return to the others."

Matthew sighed, "Yeah, we should."

* * *

Two knocks on the study door interrupted hours of careful planning and contingency errors. Matthew scowled lightly at being interrupted but let it go, it was right back to working once he got home, and he couldn't complain.

"Come in."

Dylan opened the door with a mischievous expression on his face, "There's something in the harbor with your name on it. Trust me, you don't want to miss it."

The blond sighed and stood from his desk, running a tired hand through his hair. "This better be good, Dylan, I have two months' worth of work to catch up on." He just smiled in return.

Twenty minutes later they'd arrived at the harbor, Matthew in high spirits, or trying to be, at least. Floating listlessly in the dark waters were three identical blue-trimmed ships.

"What are we doing here?" Several sailors were unloading boxes and crates of supplies and munitions, not paying any heed to the two blonds.

"Oi, Ally, get your arse out here." Dylan called, folding his arms.

The red-haired captain appeared at the railing, looking thoroughly exhausted, "What is it, Dylan? The faster I get this ship unloaded, the faster I can beg Yao for my position ba-" His eyes landed on the wavy-haired ace, expression unreadable. "I traveled halfway around the world to get you back, _sir_ Matthew, and you don't even have the decency to take part in a proper rescue mission." Allistor looked genuinely pissed off.

Matthew frowned, "U-um, I'm… sorry?"

The captain made his way down the gangway, setting a crate down on the forming pile with a loud _thud_. "Damn right you're sorry. Because of you I had to stick our necks out to those 'noble' bastards over there, waste good gunpowder, lose my position in this navy, and sail all the way home with these two _idiots_ that would not stop talking during the entire trip back." By the time he finished, Allistor was two feet away from them, still glowering. Matthew's eyes were wide. Had he really made the guy that upset? Allistor sighed, "Come here, git. I don't care if you've got sixty some odd years on me I still consider ya one of my baby brothers. You and Alfred both; gonna be the death of me, I tell ya." The ginger wrapped him in a hug, to which Matthew graciously accepted.

"Awww…"

"Belt up, Dylan, or your arse is in the harbor."

"Hey! It's Matthew!" A younger voice called from the boat. The ace glanced up at the bow, where stood two brothers who looked almost nothing alike.

"You're alive!" The other yelled.

"…Nikolas? Janez?" Matthew's jaw dropped. _They actually came all the way over here?_ "What are you doing here?" Of all the things he expected to see when he got back, his former captors weren't one of them.

"You owe us a tour around Spades. Still up for it?" Janez's smirk was visible from the boat.

* * *

Matthew stared up at the ceiling, dimly lit by the moon, just thinking. It was well past midnight and everyone but him had been asleep for hours.

"Hey, Mattie?" Well, him and Alfred, who lounged on the opposite end of the bed.

"What?"

"Do you think we're doing the right thing? With the whole union thing, I mean."

Matthew snorted, "We're a bit far down the road to be reconsidering, Alfred. Whether it's the right thing or not at least we're doing something." Alfred was quiet after that.

He thought back to his crazy few days in the Nations' world, back to the only peaceful time he'd had the whole time there.

 _"You know… After we got back home I remembered something my people did in a war of their own." Matthew sat in the co-pilot's seat trying to figure out what all the buttons and switches did, it was too cloudy to see anything out the windows anyway. He didn't particularly want to start a conversation but he got the feeling America would keep talking no matter what he did so he listened instead._

 _"I'll spare you the politics and history, not that it really matters anyway, but we fought in this country called Vietnam way over in the East and it was Hell on Earth from the very beginning. A lot of good people on both sides lost their lives for no reason." Matthew blamed it on the fact that he knew his brother too well for noticing how painful whatever that war really was for America. He felt bad for not wanting to hear the story now._

 _"Anyway, there was this symbol we believed gave us a one up on the enemy, kinda like a taboo or something. Thinking back, that was a really stupid idea but in the moment… There could have been a giant flying pasta monster out there and if it would've helped us win we didn't really give a damn." Matthew chuckled at the absurd thought in an effort to lighten the conversation, at least the story broke up the monotony of the never-ending flight. (1)_

 _"So this symbol went everywhere. On helmets, on grave sites, warning signs, whatever. Anything to help our chances in the war. We believed it so much there were entire shipments of it labeled 'secret weapon'. We didn't win… no one won actually, but I still see some of my guys with that symbol even fifty years after that war ended. And do you know what it is?"_

 _America glanced over at the royal and Matthew silently shook his head. The Nation turned back to the controls and waited a full minute before answering his own question. "It's a playing card, the ace of spades. The most powerful one in the deck." He paused, thinking something over before continuing. "I actually thought it was kinda funny that you of all people got that card. In my world you're overlooked, a lot. Ignored. But when you actually get the spotlight? Holy shiz are you crazy powerful. I thank my lucky stars we're allies every time I see it. Don't tell Canada but I don't think I could've made it this far without him. You two have a lot in common, and so do Alfred and me, you know what I'm sayin'? Consider it a formal thank you and apology from all of us for screwing up so bad over there. We tend to break a whole lot more often than we fix." (2)_

Matthew smiled and glanced over at his brother, who was trying valiantly to fight off sleep. Couldn't have made it this far without him, eh?

He could live with that.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh the sappiness. Yes, there'll be an epilogue again and I do hope you enjoy it, coming out ASAP. Call it what you will, but I love references. To all of you who caught my OC Tex's cameo, virtual cookie for you, I owed it to him after** ** _Lonely_** **.**

 **1\. I just had to reference the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. So yes, that's a real thing and I didn't make it up on the spot. Pastafarians, FTW!**

 **2\. Ace of spades playing cards- you'll probably see them in good ol' fashioned Hollywood war movies but they actually have a story behind them and aren't just there for aesthetic appeal.**


	17. Epilogue

**Chapter 17/Epilogue:**

 **We're gonna pretend I'm on time here, k? Happy 2016 everybody! This year (and ending) have been a long time coming. So, without further ado- PruCan shippers! This one's for you ;)**

* * *

"Why do you people have to complicate everything over here? You took a lighthearted game with one simple rule to follow, and turned it into an all-out war." Janez, Nikolas, and Časlov had quickly become a nuisance whenever they were together, making it their goal to annoy the crap out of the other sixteen royals whenever they were granted the opportunity.

"It's really not that complicated, Janez. The team in purple and black with the big number '3' on their backs play for the Third Class, for all four kingdoms. The team in white and silver with the big '7' on each of their jerseys play for Seventh Class, once again for all four kingdoms." Matthew sighed, inviting those two over was a mistake. A big mistake. One that would have the universe laughing at him for the rest of eternity just because it could.

He, Alfred, Časlov, Kiku, and Feliciano had wanted to sit with the rest of the spectators outside the grand but stuffy box where the rest of the royals resided. The point of the game was to get as close to the action as possible, then go hoarse from screaming your head off at the opposing team and referee for bad calls. Not to mention getting drunk on overpriced alcohol and tripping over your own feet a few times whenever your team scored. Nikolas and Janez were having too much fun with said screaming and drinking, having attached themselves to the Clubs King the moment they'd met.

"But in Chess they make it easy. Black team against White team, none of this inter-kingdom confusion you've got going on." Nikolas defended, gesturing at the wild colors each team sported.

"We split them up that way to make the four of us get along. Color schemes are so no one team looks biased to any one kingdom. Hence the purple, black, silver, and white. The ace's pink and gold scheme though, _that_ one's my favorite." Časlov grinned at Matthew pointedly.

"I didn't design it! If I had, they would have been purple and white." Matthew pouted, having been the butt of that joke since the games' debut.

"Aww, but I think the pink looks good on you." A very familiar scratchy voice suddenly joined in the conversation. Matthew whirred around to see Gilbert standing behind him on the stairs, mischievous scarlet eyes glittering brightly.

"Gilbert? What are you doing here?" His astonished outburst caught the attention of the other royals, halting all side conversations.

The joker was unfazed, "What? I'm banned from inter-kingdom sporting events too?"

"Errr… no." Matthew answered slowly, "But why would you want to come? I mean, don't you have something better to do?" The ace winced once he realized how that sounded.

"Keeseesee… What's better than watching a ticking time bomb waiting to explode? Other than the actual explosion, of course." The other royals blinked in response, yet Gilbert's manic grin remained. "So anyway, I need you for a moment, Mattie."

"Wha-"

"I'll bring him back in once piece!" Gilbert slapped a hand on his shoulder and they both vanished from the stadium in a red puff of smoke.

Matthew coughed and stumbled as they landed in the courtyard just outside the stadium, they were still in earshot of roaring fans. "What's going on?" The ace asked between coughs.

Gilbert didn't seem concerned in the slightest about Matthew's state of being and bluntly replied with, "We're leaving Cards."

Matthew's eyes bugged out, "Wait, what?"

The albino shrugged, "Peter and I are leaving Cards. I don't see what's confusing about that."

He scowled, "You know what I mean. You can't just up and leave like this."

It was Gilbert's turn to scowl, "Since when do I follow your rules? I can and I will leave and there's nothing you can do to stop me." He crossed his arms defiantly, daring the ace to question him.

"Will you ever come back? Or is this… gone for good?" Matthew didn't like the thought of yet another person he knew disappearing from his life. Even if Gilbert was low on the list of people he cared about, he was still on that list. Gilbert reminded him of what he could have been if he wasn't chosen to be the ace. Well, Alfred more than him, but the prospect was still the same.

"A new world order is coming, the Jokers weren't a part of the old one and we have no place in the new one." Gilbert said indignantly, arms still crossed. "So yes, this is 'for good'. No more of you and the others calling in favors whenever you please. It's my turn." He turned to the side and whistled, a moment later two people, children, came around a corner.

Matthew was taken aback slightly, he'd never seen Peter before, but the scarlet-red and black jumper was unmistakable. The girl next to the child-joker, however, was completely new. Gilbert smiled at the young blonde girl, and Matthew frowned again. Since when was Gilbert so sincere about anything?

"This is Luna." He introduced, resting a hand protectively on her shoulder. "Luna, this is your great uncle Matthew."

Wait, what? "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Because it sounded like he just said Matthew was an uncle. A _great_ uncle.

Gilbert scoffed, "You'd think you'd be able to see some resemblance here. You aren't senile yet, are you?"

Matthew studied the girl, no older than seven or eight, trying to see what was so special about her. Then he saw her eyes. Big, brown, curious eyes. No… no it couldn't be. _Great uncle Matthew…_ "Rosa…?"

Gilbert's expression became unreadable, "Her grandmother."

The word hit him like a ton of bricks. Rosa had a family? Children? And those children had children? "I don't understand… Why are you doing this, Gilbert?" The albino whispered something to Peter who scowled and muttered something under his breath, eventually nodding, then glared at Matthew.

"When Rosa left your family, she stumbled upon mine. Peter and I don't own a bachelor pad in the city, you know. We lived with a very special group of people, outcasts like we are. The rest of Cards thinks them extinct." Gilbert explained, grip tightening slightly on Luna's shoulder.

Matthew's mind buzzed with the possibilities, "The sages. So the doll I found... You mean they aren't….? But we would have known!"

Gilbert scoffed, "Sure you would have. Look how long it took you to recognize your own family. There aren't nearly as many as there once were, and not all of them are keen on returning to your society, but some," He gestured to Luna, "are willing to try."

"Peter and I are leaving." He said again, "Cards is trying to renew itself, right old wrongs, correct? So you can _start_ with making amends with her and her family."

Matthew was at a loss for words, and by the time he could think of something to say, the jokers had vanished, leaving little Luna as his only company.

"Uncle Matthew?" Her shrill voice broke the silence. Violet eyes flickered to brown, and the girl broke into a wild grin, "Can I meet Uncle Alfred?"

Matthew couldn't stop a smile from forming, "Sure you can."

* * *

Dry desert air blew through palm trees along a riverbank, the yellow glow of lantern lights cast on the water sparkled in the darkness of night.

Gilbert glanced down at his companion, "Was that a mistake?"

Peter rolled his eyes, "Matthew was a good choice, even if his brother is almost more annoying than Arthur."

Gilbert chuckled, "Yeah, Alfred is a bit of an _arschloch._ But neither are that bad. I think we left them in good hands." He shouldered a small knapsack, "To the city?"

Peter nodded and they began walking along the riverbank, buildings slowly becoming more numerous, as well as the people. Heads turned at the newcomers, who stuck out dramatically with their western clothing, not that the jokers cared.

"Helena, do I see tourists on the horizon?" A booming voice rang out from a café. Gilbert and Peter looked to where the voice came from, to see a man with chocolate brown hair with several stray curls grinning like an idiot and a woman with jet black hair looking annoyed and exasperated at his outburst. "Hello, lovely tourists!"

The rest of the people walking by acted as if this was a normal occurrence. Gilbert shrugged and sauntered over to the couple, "Tourists aim to leave eventually."

The man's amber eyes brightened, "Ah, I see. Helena, what did I tell you? I knew it would happen, and you doubted me."

The woman who must've been Helena muttered, "You 'knew it' for the past ten years."

The man either ignored the comment or didn't hear it, too busy beaming at the jokers. "All are welcome here for as long as they like! What are your names- oh wait! Don't tell me, I wanna guess." He bounced in his chair like a five year old. Gilbert thought his voice was reminiscent of a certain royal he knew.

Gilbert caught Helena shaking her head wildly in the background, and decided introducing themselves would save an eternity of waiting. "Gilbert and Peter, we come from Cards in the West."

"Ah! Cards! Such a young kingdom, no? What brings you all the way out here?" The man clasped his hands in front of him, as if they were suddenly the most interesting concept in the world.

Gilbert shrugged, "Just two travelers wanting to get away from a boring home."

"Well, as I said, all are welcome here." His smile was perfectly genuine, something far and few between back home. "My name is Julius and this is my lovely wife-"

" _Julius_."

"This is the lovely Helena." He amended quickly.

"Pleasure to meet you both." Helena greeted, "The airhead and I are two of six royals here." Ah, so this was the infamous Julius… well that explained a lot. Gilbert smiled down at Peter, this was looking to be everything it was rumoured to be, and they deserved every bit of it.

"Welcome to Backgammon."

* * *

 **A/N: Wooo! I'm finished, finally finished. For real this time. Hopefully I did it justice, and all of your questions have satisfying answers. If not… well I guess you can PM me and ask but the fun's all in the mystery ;)**

 **[End Curtain Call] I wanted to see just how many countries I fit into this duology(?) so here they are in order of dialogue all the way from RF's first chapter:**

 **Canada, America, China, England, Spain, France, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Japan, Russia, Prussia, Romano, Scotland, Belarus, Poland, Norway, Wales, Romania, Austria, Hungary, Ireland (Lisa), Mexico [Mentioned] (Rosa), Denmark, Slovenia (Janez), Croatia (Časlov), Lithuania, Latvia, Iceland, Finland, Mongolia [Mentioned] (Previous Jack of Spades), Sealand, OC Texas (Samuel from** ** _'It's Lonely at the_** **Top), Ancient Rome (Julius), Ancient Greece (Helena). Nikolas and Luna are pure human OCs.**

 **Thank you so much for all the faves, follows, and of course** ** _reviews_** **! Definitely couldn't have finished this monster without all the support from old and new faces. You guys are awesome. Prussia-level awesome. I'm still open for a one-shot series, but it won't happen for a while. See you in another life, my sheeple!**


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